If Sam Raimi makes a film, I’ll be there to see it on the big screen. He has earned this through his work in horror (THE EVIL DEAD) and superhero (SPIDER-MAN 2) genres. With SEND HELP, he enlisted the help of all-stars Bill Pope (THE MATRIX) and Danny Elfman (you name the Tim Burton movie, and he has done it). Yet he should’ve sent help to the screenwriters, Damian Shannon and Mark Swift.
The script doesn’t work because of a paper-thin plot with a faulty second act that repeats the same story beats. And this is a damn shame, since Rachel McAdams is at the top of her game in a survival-style script that has to be seen to believe, especially a wild boar sequence that’s filmed like something out of THE EVIL DEAD films. Raimi also utilizes his signature style in the workplace comedy setting. And I never thought that visual touch would work so well there, but it does! The close-ups on the shoes, faces, and a tuna fish sandwich have never felt so intense.
Final Thought: Despite a weak script, SEND HELP is worth seeing on the big screen, especially if you’re a fan of Sam Raimi. And that’s thanks to some of the top artists working in film today, who have attached their styles to it. If there’s ever a sequel to this film, I would encourage Raimi to ‘send help’ and get a better script before production.
