The first reactions are in for survival thriller Send Help, with critics praising the new Sam Raimi movie. Starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien, the story follows an employee who ends up stranded on a desert island with her horrible, sexist boss. However, as they try and survive and boss Bradley (O'Brien) is injured, the tables start to turn as Linda (McAdams) finds newfound power over him.
Send Help has had its first press screening, and the early response from critics on social media has been very positive indeed.
ScreenRant's Todd Gilchrist called it "a tremendous reminder of how gifted Sam Raimi is at entertaining audiences while tormenting actors", further lauding writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift's "fantastic script" in a movie that is "smart, suspenseful and incredibly funny".
SlashFilm's Bill Bria further labelled it "a deliciously sadistic & demented thriller that only Sam Raimi can deliver".
"Rachel McAdams once again shows what a crackerjack character actress she is, and Dylan O’Brien matches her freak," he added. "Shannon & Swift’s clever script spares no gag, literal or figurative."
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"A hilariously mean, NASTY little f**ker that packs all the drama and betrayals of a season of Survivor into a feature film," said Film Speak's Griffin Schiller.
"At times feels like Raimi's sadistic take on Phantom Thread—a karmic undressing of monstrous man-babies in an inverted power dynamic.
Meanwhile, Forbes' Jeff Conway suggested Send Help was a "must-see movie" that "has everything: great comedy, suspense, drama & horror!"
"Rachel McAdams gives a career best performance! Dylan O’Brien is so good in this easy crowd-pleaser from Sam Raimi’s witty cinematic vision!" he added.
Raimi previously described the movie as "an underdog tale at its core" as well as "a story of female empowerment and transformation".
Send Help is released in US cinemas on 30 January and UK cinemas on 5 February.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
