OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews
Send Help
(MA). 113 minutes. Now showing in cinemas.
Sam Raimi is back! After helming the forgettable Oz The Great And Powerful (2013), he disappeared from the big screen for almost ten years, returning, unfortunately, with an entry in the never-ending Marvel franchise, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022). But, four years later, Raimi makes a very welcome return to form with Send Help, an energetic, hilariously gory, surprisingly smart dark comedy that is geared towards horror fans. Rachel McAdams (who is fantastic) plays Linda Liddle, a dedicated employee at Preston Strategic Solutions, tirelessly crunching the numbers in Planning and Strategy. An important cog in the company for seven years, Linda has been promised a promotion to vice-president by the CEO, but after he dies, and his son Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) is put in charge, things take a turn for the worse for Linda. Bradley is a blatant sexist who loves the good life, and sees Linda’s appearance (she cleverly looks like one of those contestants from her favourite TV show, Survivor) and personality a personal stain on the cash-cow business gifted to him. Linda is overlooked for the role, which is instead given to one of Bradley’s old fraternity brothers. Feeling he has to give the impression of fairness before cutting her free, Bradley offers Linda a seat on a plane headed for Thailand, where the company are trying to close a major deal. A sudden storm sees the plane crash into the ocean, with Linda and Bradley the only survivors, washed up on a deserted island. Once both get over the shock of their current plight, the two need to work together to survive. But right from the start, it is clear that Linda handles everything better, with Bradley needing to rely on her to live. As Linda blooms in this new environment, Bradley knows who is in charge now, and it is a situation he wants to redress. Send Help allocates enough time to create its various character dynamics, allowing McAdams and O’Brien the chance to give their characters a foundation to build on. McAdams in-particular prevents Linda from becoming a one-joke caricature, and the connection between the way her character is treated at work to the subject she submerges herself in is funny but rather poignant, and once the story changes to the wilder desert setting, that office and gender warfare becomes not only funnier, but even more pertinent. The supporting cast are all on the same wavelength. The script by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (Freddy vs Jason) surprisingly delves a bit deeper into its themes, offering ideas that do develop. Raimi is an expert at mixing gore and guffaws, and he brings his trademark energy to the material, but never overlooks what the script is trying to say. There are over-the-top moments that are incredibly funny (some are reminiscent of his Evil Dead films), with CGI effects that seem deliberately cartoonish. The film is also boosted by the work of veteran composer Danny Elfman (Beetlejuice, Batman, Hellboy 2)and cinematographer Bill Pope (Darkman, Army Of Darkness, The Matrix) Those who aren’t familiar with Raimi’s particular brand of humour may find much of what they see rather disturbing, but fans should find Send Help incredibly entertaining, seeing a director wonderfully firing on all cylinders. And yes, there are cameos.
RATING – ****
Shelter
(MA). 107 minutes. Now showing in cinemas.
Another month, and another Jason Statham action movie, and while everything which transpires is predictable, there is enough of a human element to proceedings to keep audiences mildly interested between the usual carnage and high body count. Statham plays Mason, a mysterious recluse who resides on a remote Scottish island. Receiving supplies (mostly alcohol) by boat, Mason’s only connection to the outside world are Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) and her uncle (Michael Schaeffer). When a storm sinks the trawler, Mason is only able to save Jessie. Of course, we know that Mason will turn out to be an ex-special forces soldier/agent of some kind, and his secret past will catch up with him (in the form of the calmly villainous Bill Nighy), and the two will have to take it on the lam. But the relationship between Mason and Jessie is handled competently, and the whole thing is executed in surprisingly low-key fashion by Ric Roman Waugh (the Greenland films), making this one of the more acceptable Statham vehicles.
RATING – ***
Aaron Rourke