Going into Send Help, I avoided all trailers, so my expectations were pretty simple. Two people. A deserted island. A fight to survive. What I didn’t expect was a movie that’s way less interested in survival itself and much more focused on power, who has it, who’s assumed to have it, and who actually earns it when everything falls apart.

Rachel McAdams plays Linda, a quiet overlooked assistant who’s spent most of her professional life being underestimated. Dylan O’Brien’s character, Bradley enters the story with status, confidence, and the kind of authority that signals “nepo baby asshole”. As the film continues on, Send Help very intentionally sets you up to believe one thing and then slowly dismantles it.

Instead of leaning into physical dominance or typical survival tropes, the film shifts its focus instead to emotional intelligence, adaptability, and perception. Linda doesn’t suddenly become loud or perform power in the ways we’re used to seeing. She becomes powerful because she’s observant, prepared, and able to read people and situations better than anyone gives her credit for.

That’s what makes the film work. The tension isn’t just about whether they’ll make it off the island, it’s more about watching the balance of control change in real time. Director Sam Raimi lets those shifts happen quietly, without big speeches or forced moments, which makes them land even harder.

There’s also something subtly political about Send Help. It’s not loud or preachy, but it’s very aware of workplace hierarchies, gender dynamics, and how often competence gets ignored until it’s absolutely necessary. The film asks a question that feels especially relevant right now: when the systems we rely on disappear, who’s actually equipped to lead?

By the end, Send Help stops feeling like a survival movie altogether. It becomes a sharp character study about reclaiming agency, challenging assumptions, and realizing that power doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.

Check my in full review below:

Pros: Performance-driven, Psychological tension

Cons: Slow burn, Predictable beats