Two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
Chuck says:
I rarely get excited by any upcoming releases but after seeing the trailer for Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” my interest was piqued. Sporting an intriguing premise, featuring two of our finest screen actors, and brimming with the director’s dark sense of humor, this seemed like the anecdote for the bloated Hollywood blockbuster. And for a while, it is, the film living up to my expectations during its first 90 minutes. However, it stumbles, badly, with a third act that reeks of desperation. The story’s shift in tone and with the behavior of a key character provide a discordant note that provides an easy out for all involved.
There’s not a more loyal or hard-working employee than Linda Liddle (Rahcel McAdams). A tenacious problem solver, she takes on tasks others shirk at the investment firm where she works. Her passion beyond her job, is the outdoors. “Survivor,” which she auditioned for, is her favorite television show, and while she may not have many friends, well, so be it. Granted, she’s a bit of an oddball. Living alone with only her parakeet for company, she’s not concerned so much with her attire or appearance and her social graces are lacking.
The one thing she’s counting on is a promotion that’s been promised her. However, when her boss dies and his vacuous son, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien) takes over, he gives one of his former frat boy buddies the job. Despite this, Preston recognizes Liddle’s worth and asks her to accompany him and some other execs on a trip to Bangkok where they are working on a merger. Unfortunately, the plane goes down in the Pacific, Liddle and Preston being the only survivors, having washed ashore on a remote, deserted island.
This premise is set up economically and with flair. The comically horrific deaths the director and writers Damien Shannon and Mark Swift put Preston’s obnoxious cohorts through are a hoot, each getting battered about in the suddenly breached airplane in cringe-worthy, diabolical ways. This serves as a precursor to some of the grislier moments to come as the mismatched pair attempt to survive in a hostile environment.
While Preston initially thinks the boss-employee dynamic will remain on the island, he’s in for a rude awakening. Injured, he learns the hard way that he’s suddenly dependent on Liddle, at least until his battered leg heals. And while he despairs, she’s in her element, reveling in the fact that her survival skills can now be put to use. More importantly, living where she is no longer an object of scorn brings her a sense of confidence and security to allow her to blossom into the capable woman she was always meant to be. If she were never to leave the island, she’d be content.
This doesn’t sit well with Preston, who’s desperate to leave. The shifting relationship between them provides the movie with its best moments, McAdams and O’Brien having great fun with their characters’ changing attitudes. The film relies on the antagonistic chemistry these two generate, their back-and-forth charged with sincere anger and distress that keeps the story from floundering.
That is, until the end. Though they continue to do good work, the twist Shannon and Swift provide is initially off-putting and ultimately insincere. Equally troubling, and inexplicable are the changes Liddle goes through, which come out of nowhere and only emerge as a result of their desperate narrative shift. Your mileage may vary where the conclusion is concerned but I couldn’t help but feel stranded by “Help’s” denouement, a disparate part that locks up the machinery of what was initially, a fine, clever thriller.
2 1/2 Stars
