If Survivor would become a movie, this is probably it. In Send Help, director Sam Raimi returned to form by bringing together survival horror, dark comedy, and character study by putting two characters who are polar opposites in an environment where they are forced to, just like in the reality TV behemoth, outlast the elements and each other.

Writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon absolutely nailed one of the integral elements that made the show resonate with millions of people: how people behave when stripped of every single comfort and put in a situation where they must fend for survival.

Survival becomes the central theme in Raimi’s new movie. Doing what he does best, which is making horror look stylish. Send Help doesn’t look like your typical survival horror movie, which works in its favor.

Judging from the first few minutes it looks like a work-comedy-could-even-be-a-romcom and even when we get to the second act, there’s no telling where things would go. Once you get to the third act you’d be like: what the f*ck?

And that’s what we need in movies these days. People come inside the cinema with certain expectations about how movies would go. It’s nice to be unsure of what’s about to unfold in front of you from time to time.

The movie’s dynamic visual style is undoubtedly Raimi. The island is picturesque, almost like a postcard. It’s the perfect contrast to what’s brewing underneath our two characters, Linda and Bradley.

Linda is a bit of a social outcast, smart, dedicated employee in a Fortune 500 company who has been passed over for a promotion by her new nepo baby boss Bradley (who took over his dead father’s position). Played brilliantly by Rachel McAdams, Linda personifies quiet resilience—the kind that underdogs want to relate to.

As I watch her navigate her way through the island, putting her Survivor knowledge to good use, it reminded me of the iconic Cirie Fields who was initially famous for being the woman who got off the couch and became a Survivor legend. In two of her four seasons on the show, Fields masterminded some of the most mind-boggling moves in TV history. You’ll get it once you get to the movie’s third act.

This is McAdams’ best comedic role since Mean Girls. However, she’s not just funny here. She’s terrifying and admirable. But then you also almost feel sorry for her.

She starts out weak, pushed over, and made fun of by others. And then she’s had enough. But as soon as she demonstrates her first sign of protest against her bullies, she crashes into the middle of the ocean.

It’s a range-defining performance.

As funny as she was when building a cozy shelter and preparing a meal that looked like it’s something you can find in a resort, there are moments when you see something far more sinister in the way her eyes look when she’s alone with her thoughts.

And then it shifts. Moments later, you’re snickering at how cute she is trying to make a paradise out of their hapless situation. Then you empathize with her as Bradley continues to order her around. Then you applaud when she stands up to the boss.

You can feel everything that’s happening inside her head—her disgust over being passed over for a promotion, the delight in realizing she can endure and adapt to her new environment, the desire for retribution, and the desperation to outlast.

While her role obviously required a lot physically, much of the intensity of her performance emanates from the ways her eyes shift. You can almost see the exact moment when something shifts in her mind.

It was almost reminiscent of Dolly De Leon’s Abigail in Triangle of Sadness. The struggle and rise to power. Plus something else that may make audiences either squeal in delight or frown in dismay.

The power balance between her and O’Brien’s character is continuously shifting, which is great because it gives audiences something to chew on. The push-and-pull between the two provides some of the movie’s light and funny moments but also hints on a darker path.

Who should we root for here? is a constant thought. Thanks to a clever script, the whole journey became darkly entertaining for us viewers.

And when I say dark, it can really go dark. Raimi utilized everything possible to scare and disgust the audience. There’s a lot of blood, for starters. One scene that’s purely repulsive involves Linda attempting to resuscitate Bradley after drowning in the sea. It was hilarious and revolting at the same time.

Expect gore and violence as well. Survival, after all, is essential to both characters. And they are willing to do what it takes to survive—regardless of what that means to each of them.

Who survives in the end? Who was able to outwit, outplay, and outlast?

You’re gonna have to find out for yourselves when the movie drops in cinemas today.

Watch the trailer here: