The Drama

Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Starring: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, Hailey Benton Gates, Sydney Lemmon, Hannah Gross, Anna Baryshnikov, Michael Abbott Jr., Zoe Winters, Damon Gupton, Jeremy Levick
Running Time: 105 min.
Rating: R

**This Review Contains Major Plot Spoilers**

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Writer/director Kristoffer Borgli's The Drama can be divided into two sections: Pre-secret and post-secret. And while the former encompasses only twenty minutes of the film's running length, it's the ideal entry point. In accurately capturing life's dark absurdities and the promising trajectory of a relationship between two seemingly likable characters, we're quickly won over. But the flashbacks charting this happy couple's tumultuous trip to the altar are even more valuable, laying the groundwork for a shocking twist that might not otherwise land as hard, especially since we haven't a clue just how bad things are about to get. 

The film shows why secrets are kept and how little we consider them until the cat's completely out of the bag. Some are inconsequential and others potentially earth shattering, forcing its keeper to run for cover in hopes they can somehow avoid the fallout. The latter kind drives this story, which explores how a single piece of information can change your perception of someone you thought you knew. And it doesn't matter when the event occurred or whether it has anything to do with who that person is now. Sometimes just knowing is damaging enough.  

When Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson) enters a coffee shop in Boston, he immediately notices Emma Harwood (Zendaya) sitting by the window and tentatively approaches, pretending to have already read the book she is. After Emma apparently ignores him, he'll return to apologize, only to learn she's deaf in one ear and hadn't heard anything he said. This mixup leads to their first date and eventually many more as we flash forward two years to discover they're set to marry within a week. 

Problems begin when they spot their wedding DJ smoking crack on the street, prompting a dinner discussion with married friends Mike (Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim) over whether they should fire her. This leads to a game where all four reveal the worst thing they've ever done, concluding with a drunk Emma, whose disturbing confession infuriates Rachel and sends Charlie into a tailspin. Now suddenly reevaluating his feelings for Emma, he wants answers. But in attempting to reconcile the woman he fell for with a younger version capable of something like this, he spirals out of control, jeopardizing their impending nuptials.

Say what you will about Emma's secret, but it definitely exceeds expectations in terms of being awful enough to give anyone pause. Why she chooses to share it could be attributed to the alcohol, a moment of weakness or perhaps the false sense security that those she trusts wouldn't judge her. But this is on a whole different level. At fifteen, she planned to commit a school shooting, going so far as to practice in the woods with her father's gun (resulting in her hearing loss) and bring the weapon to school, eventually choosing not to go through with it. 

Due to a personal connection with gun violence, an outraged Rachel has the most visceral reaction to Emma's bombshell while Charlie's affected deepest, stammering and stumbling to come up with excuses for her in his own head. As if that isn't enough, Borgli goes even darker, actually showing flashbacks of an angry, disillusioned teen Emma.

By painting this powerful picture of a lonely, bullied girl who shares little in common with the adult she'll later become, we're reminded how far removed everyone eventually becomes from their high school selves. Of course, that does nothing to blunt the impact of watching an unrecognizable Emma (Jordyn Curet) fall into an online rabbit hole of gun violence and Columbine-inspired videos. 

As Charlie imagines firearms everywhere, he now looks and feels unsafe in his future wife's presence as this depressingly painful part of Emma's past returns to haunt her, prompting premonitions of wedding guests being gunned down on what's supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. But maybe the most unsettling of Borgli's hallucinatory sequences finds Charlie suddenly walking side by side with Emma's younger, rifle toting counterpart. 

After unsuccessfully attempting to laugh his fiancée's confession off, a neurotic Charlie probes for an explanation, which Emma begrudgingly provides, despite knowing none will suffice. Even worse, the reason she didn't go through with the shooting is purely circumstantial rather than the result of a sudden epiphany or change of heart. That comes later when her loneliness subsides and she takes a different path, accidentally stumbling upon the sense of purpose she didn't know she was looking for the whole time. 

If a changed Emma grew up and realized the horrific implications of what she could have done, that's a detail everyone's chosen to ignore, including Charlie, who's unnerved enough to conjure up a more comfortable explanation to ease his panic. But it doesn't work since he's more concerned with how Emma's secret reflects on him, especially with friends in his ear influencing his actions.  

A somewhat spineless Mike tries to appease all parties and stay out of wife Rachel's crosshairs when she vindictively hangs the information over Emma's head at her lowest point. And Alana Haim is so effectively detestable in the role, letting Rachel's hypocrisy shine through as she remains oblivious to the fact she not only initiated this game, but revealed a secret of her own that's arguably worse. 

"What will this say about me?" may as well be written all over Charlie's face as he desperately flails at work and home, reaching new lows with embarrassingly selfish and self destructive actions. But amidst all the lies he tells himself to move past this, he does hit on the profound truth that many people walk around with terribly evil thoughts they never act on. We're just spoiled by the benefit of not knowing what those are. 

Believing this, you'd almost think Emma's biggest mistake was sharing instead of taking a pass or just making something up during the game. Charlie understandably assumes her only excuse for not committing the unthinkable comes down to someone beating her to it, but that doesn't account for all the times before and since when she could have done this. And if we know anything about these shooters, it's that they'll rarely keep postponing the inevitable. They're the only person who can truly stop themselves, as Emma did by finding a community before it was too late. 

Of course, this isn't to say Emma's still not nursing some serious emotional scars, most of which are reopened with her confession. We see this with the panic attacks and how long it took her to openly acknowledge her feelings for Charlie. And it's telling that when both attempt to handle the DJ situation they swap their previously held positions, almost putting on a show to prove the other wrong.  

Pattinson has to walk a tightrope throughout, authentically registering the reactions of someone who sees a different person in front of him than the one he planned to marry. In actuality, little has changed except this new knowledge suggesting that everything should. It's clear Charlie can't handle any of it, but Pattinson brings dimensions to him that imply he has still as much growing up left to do as Emma. 

Zendaya's casting is a masterstroke almost on par with the work itself, requiring viewers to adjust their expectations of an actress whose character is on defense the entire time. At simultaneous moments we doubt Emma's sincerity, empathize with her plight and cringe at our own conflicted feelings toward a would be school shooter. It was a risk to play the role as brutally honest as she does, but one that pays off with a brilliantly tangled turn that stays with you long after the film concludes.

Whether it's Rachel's drunkenly cruel maid of honor toast, Charlie's embarrassing speech or the violent fall out from his humiliating office incident with Misha (Hailey Benton Gates), the wedding's a tense, entertainingly uncomfortable, cringe worthy disaster. And though the pair appear to be finished before their married life has begun, the final minutes suggest they're still in some strange, messed up way perfect for each other. It ends with a clever call back to when their endearingly goofy coffee shop meet cute offered no hint of the chaos to come. Now they've come full circle, ready for a reset. At this point, there's nothing to lose in giving it another shot, if you'll excuse the expression. 

With this, Borgli swings for the fences, delivering an effort just as audacious as his weirdly ambitious Dream Scenario, only far deeper. And in constructing an ethical crisis that'll have viewers obsessively debating what they'd do under similar circumstances, its wicked, subversive humor rests on two underappreciated actors giving their most complex performances yet. As thought provoking as it is controversial, The Drama may be the ultimate "what if," stretching the limits of forgiveness past its breaking point.       

Scream 7

 

Director: Kevin Williamson
Starring: Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, David Arquette, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Asa Germann, Celeste O' Connor, Sam Rechner, Mark Consuelos, Ethan Embry, Tim Simons, Matthew Lillard, Joel McHale, Courtney Cox 
Running Time: 114 min.
Rating: R

★★½ (out of ★★★★)    

While few expected the Scream series to even be watchable this far in, the hiring of directing team Radio Silence and actresses Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega for 2022's Scream and 2023's Scream 6 revitalized a struggling property, resulting in its two best efforts yet. And though a few legacy characters held on, the torch seemed ready to be passed, signaling an even brighter future ahead for the franchise. 

Given this, you'd figure the studio would do anything to extend its streak and facilitate a smooth transition for the saga's next chapter. So of course they let Radio Silence walk, fired Barrera after a public controversy and watched Ortega exit. Now it's not only time to find out if Scream 7 can creatively recalibrate, but whether any actor or filmmaker is bigger than the franchise itself. Financially, we know the answer, as this became the series' highest grossing entry. But its level of quality is a separate issue. 

Going all in with nostalgia, Neve Campbell is back, along with the original's writer/producer Kevin Williamson as director. We also get the returns of Courtney Cox, Matthew Lillard, David Arquette and others in various incarnations often too complicated or ridiculous to fully explain. And an actor being present in the film doesn't necessarily mean their character is, at least in the traditional sense. Unsurprisingly, this feels like a step back, as if the studio just wanted to get it over with to prove they could.  

With the Macher house in Woodsboro now turned into an interactive museum and Airbnb dedicated to Ghostface's killings, Stab superfan Scott (Jimmy Tatro) convinces his reluctant girlfriend Madison (Michelle Randolph) to stay the night. After they find an unexpected guest and chaos erupts, word travels back to Sidney Prescott (Campbell), who's built a new life with teen daughter Tatum (Isabel May) and police chief husband Mark (Joel McHale) in Pine Grove, Indiana. But when Sidney receives a mysterious videocall from Ghostface, she's shocked to see a scarred, middle-aged Stu Macher (Lillard), the presumably dead killer from thirty years earlier. 

Now Tatum, along with boyfriend Ben (Sam Rechner) and classmates Hannah (Mckenna Grace), Chloe (Celeste O' Connor) and Lucas (Asa German) suddenly find themselves in immediate danger. And despite Sidney's tension with Tatum over her refusal to share anything about her traumatic past, mother and daughter must work together to defeat Ghostface, just as a returning Gale Weathers (Cox) arrives to help. Is Stu actually still alive or is there a new killer on the loose? As usual, everyone's a suspect. 

The film's extended cold open feels particularly reliant on the franchise's more obvious tropes, which is likely the point. Still, you can't help but roll your eyes wondering why we're going down this road again after the two visually and narratively superior installments preceding it. It's very much back to basics, and the Macher house, a setting that probably would have packed a bigger punch had it not already been featured in the fifth entry. 

If you can get past the house being open to the public soon after the latest killing spree, Williamson and co-writer Gary Busick sticking to the formula won't seem like such a problem. But the familiar sequence plays out more transparently than usual, full of obvious fake-outs, clunky dialogue and manufactured jump scares. Things quickly improve once the action shifts to Pine Grove, which may as well be Woodsboro 2.0, with a touch of Halloween's Haddonfield thrown in for good measure. 

The concept of local celebrity mom Sidney living her best life and freed from the past works, as does the rift those lingering issues cause with Tatum (who Sidney named after late best friend Tatum Riley). And most of Campbell's scenes opposite Isabel May find the teen wrestling with the shyness and insecurity she feels as the daughter of badass Final Girl Sidney Prescott, who's since become a closed book to those around her. 

What's odd is just how ill prepared and uninformed Tatum is considering the widespread mainstream attention these murders have gotten for decades. Aware she'll always be a target, it's somewhat perplexing Sidney hasn't prepared her daughter for the worst beyond suggesting an emergency go bag Tatum leaves unpacked. Considering the situation, this might be a good time to fill it.

Of course, the big question is whether this really is Stu or a game being perpetrated by a new Ghostface using AI or some other deepfake technology. But considering the script doesn't have much to say about that and it's mainly used as an excuse to bring back legacy characters, its inclusion risks rubbing viewers the wrong way. Whether Stu's alive or not, Lillard's as entertaining as ever, almost making you wish they'd throw logic out the window and just give us what we want, regardless if it makes any sense.    

Williamson does something at around the forty minute mark that has us wondering if we're headed into uncharted territory, before backpedaling with a more traditional approach. And while it's sort of a mess, there are some cleverly staged kill and chase sequences, like a memorable onstage demise during school play rehearsals, as well as a gory bar massacre. If there's a huge disappointment, it's the reduced presence of Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface, who doesn't figure in nearly as much due to the mechanics of this plot. 

Collectively, the new cast is fine, if lacking a true standout since May understandably monopolizes the film's second half as Tatum. She and everyone else are immediately labeled as potential suspects, especially boyfriend Ben, who's humorously referred to as the "Gen Z Billy Loomis" by returning twins Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding). And while it's great having both back for continuity's sake, the choice to make the siblings fledgling true crime reporters under the tutelage of Cox's Gale is an odd one. We also get a revisitation of her hot and cold relationship with Sidney, as the franchise frenemies work to bury the hatchet following Dewey's (Arquette) death.  

We're all well aware of the rules going into any final reveal, such as the notion we can't trust any prior death, no matter how conclusive it appears. Or the prevalence of multiple Ghostfaces who share a connective tissue with the series' overall mythology. This time, a lack of the latter cements it as one of the more lackluster endings in the franchise. If there's a saving grace, it's the ability to read it as some sort of meta commentary on the fanbase's obsession with Sidney, and by extension, Campbell herself. But that's a reach.  

The good news is that Campbell gets a chance to shine again, emerging as one of the stronger aspects of a flawed entry that commits to featuring her character as its centerpiece. Given the crazy circumstances, this is better than it has any right being, but also a warning of what happens when a horror franchise retraces its steps in search of the same result. For the first time in a while, fatigue sets in, with Scream 7 more closely resembling the franchise's own self-referential Stab movies than the two previous sequels that put it back on the map.

Anniversary

Director: Jan Komasa
Starring: Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Zoey Deutch, Mckenna Grace, Dylan O' Brien, Daryl McCormack, Madeline Brewer, Phoebe Dynevor, Sky Yang, Rebecca O' Mara
Running Time: 111 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)  

Director Jan Komasa's Anniversary asks what happens when the actions of those surrounding you can longer be explained away as politics. It theorizes where that line is and how it gets crossed, bleeding over into legal and ethical waters that have less to do with party affiliation than an emerging ideological battle between "us" and "them." Scarier still is how many won't realize this until it's too late, their moral compasses malfunctioning when needed most.  

If that sounds like an episode of The Twilight Zone, it easily could be, if only the film's events weren't so believably grounded in reality, even by Rod Serling's standards. With that comes the tendency to label this as a mirror reflection of current events or complain how it isn't taking enough of a "stance." Of course, that's precisely the kind of thinking this film rallies against and why it rises so far above similarly themed projects attempting to tackle such issues. It's about the story, leaving it all up on the screen for us to reach our own conclusions. 

Georgetown University professor Ellen Taylor (Diane Lane) and restaurateur husband Paul (Kyle Chandler) are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary with their adult children at the affluent family's sprawling estate. Attending are depressed environmental lawyer Cynthia (Zoey Deutch) along with her husband/fellow attorney Rob (Daryl McCormack), rebellious lesbian stand-up comic Anna (Madeline Brewer), aspiring teenage wildlife scientist Birdy (Mckenna Grace) and struggling novelist son Rob (Dylan O' Brien), who's accompanied by new fiancée Liz Nettles (Phoebe Dynevor). Polite and complimentary, Liz hopes to make a positive first impression on his parents, but Ellen eventually recognizes her as a former student who left Georgetown after the professor she pushed back on her controversial ideas advocating for a totalitarian government. 

As Paul attempts to convince his wife that everyone deserves another chance, Liz gifts Ellen a copy of her latest book, The Change: The New Social Contract. Co-written with Rob, its contents sicken Ellen, who immediately realizes it's just an expanded, updated version of Liz's dangerous worldview. But by the time  everyone next gathers, the book's already incited a full-fledged political movement that's sweeping the nation. And even while many of the Taylors remain vehemently anti-Change, Liz and Josh's power grows, as does their expanding influence, ripping the country and this family apart, just as Ellen warned.

Despite her employment at an academic institution under fire for its liberal leanings, Ellen categorizes herself as "non-political," believing such labels cause people to see only the truth they've conditioned themselves to accept. But what's more interesting is writer Lori Rosene-Gambino's choice to withhold the specifics of Liz's hugely influential novel beyond a brief excerpt and Ellen's descriptions of it as "anti-democratic" and "fascist." The film's actually less concerned with outlining what's in the book than showing us its subsequent impact, all while Ellen remains ahead of the curve, her premonitions about Liz's true intent initially falling on deaf ears. 

Ellen knows Liz's incapability for growth, but any suspicions that a vengeful former student is back to infiltrate this family eight years later are dismissed by husband Paul as paranoia. And Lane gives one of her strongest performances in years as a wife and mother whose mannerisms can barely suppress the frustration that no one's seeing what she is, especially Paul, who's more interested in keeping the peace. But when Ellen gets an early glimpse of Liz's soon-to-be bestseller, she completely snaps, unable to contain herself any longer as the Change starts catching on.  

We easily understand how everyone else would accept the self-assured Liz at face value, or at least assume she doesn't pose the massive threat Ellen speaks of. Coming across as friendly, intelligent and put together in every way, there's no reason to suspect the worst, aside from maybe wondering what she sees in a floundering Rob. But Dynevor's sneaky performance hints that something's off as Liz maintains this blank, almost coldly emotionless poker face the entire time. After a while we'll realize she's there with a single-minded purpose, even while continuing to question whether she's really capable of all Ellen alleges. 

Much to Paul's displeasure, an explosive Thanksgiving family dinner erupts when the action leaps forward two years and it's increasingly hard to ignore for him to keep ignoring politics at the table. It's also difficult not to notice an unrecognizable Rob's transformation from geeky, self-loathing journalist into cocky, belligerent control freak. And few feel the wrath of that quite like outspoken sister Anna, who uses using her public platform to condemn the Change before facing disastrous consequences when more than just her first amendment rights are stripped away. Cynthia isn't thrilled about any of this either, with her depression and marital problems with Rob compounding an already dire situation. 

The wild card is an introspective Birdy, who's played by an impressive McKenna Grace, whose quietly heavy lifting leaves her character's intentions up in the air. A confused, curious teen still figuring things out, we read the teen's expressions and mannerisms looking for hints, until realizing she may not know herself. Torn between an intense, anti-Change activist boyfriend Moses (Sky Yang) and a brother and sister-in-law looking to exploit her perceived vulnerability to their advantage, Birdy's allegiance is unclear. And yet she's stronger than they think, but also somehow weaker, with nothing fully preparing us for how important to the story she'll become.   

With its stars centered in the middle, The Change regime's American flag is a clever, distorted perversion meant to symbolize the country joining in the middle, supposedly free from political parties and division. Of course, what that really means is an oppressive single party system that foists its beliefs on the nation with force. The distressing sight of it shakes Ellen to her core, causing her to do something she'll regret, or maybe not, since the character's defining trait is her unwavering commitment to standing up for what she believes. But whether a single book can carry this level of cultural currency and influence might be the wrong question to ask when sometimes all it takes is a small spark to set social media ablaze, allowing the public to take care of the rest. 

The film's masterful in its escalation as Lane and Chandler's stressed characters subtly age a lifetime, deteriorating before our very eyes as they wonder how things went so spectacularly wrong, especially in raising son Rob, who Liz easily molds and manipulates into the person he thinks he wants to be. O' Brien's metamorphosis as Rob is the stuff of nightmares, particularly during his tense sit-down with Paul in the film's second half, as the latter now grasps the enormity of his own son's actions, finally drawing a line in the sand. 

The always underappreciated Chandler plays Paul as a hardworking, salt of the earth everyman who isn't exactly naive, but chooses to see the best in people, especially his own family. He sees this as a problem that can be temporarily ignored, if not fixed, with small talk and a some burgers. Unfortunately, by the time he heeds his wife's warnings and hunkers down for an ugly fight, the country's careened into an Orwellian surveillance state, reinforced by a chilling third act census visit. But when any political movement gets too big and dangerous to control, no one's immune from the consequences, including those supposedly in charge. 

What starts as a dysfunctional family drama morphs into an American tragedy before emerging as a full blown suburban nightmare that hits too close to home. It also boasts a loaded dream cast where each member stands on equal footing, their respective performances peaking at various points to cohesively form pieces of a much larger puzzle. Starting with an anniversary party and ending with a far different one, its incisive, unsettling script comes full circle with mind blowing developments and a guarantee you'll never hear Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" the same way again. 

In a less fragmented viewing landscape and with proper studio support, you can envision a scenario where Anniversary becomes one of the more hotly debated and discussed releases of the past year. Instead, Lionsgate seemingly buried it with a generically inoffensive title that hints at them not knowing what they had or maybe even being scared to promote it. Simply calling this The Change would have been a better call, at least drawing attention to the controversial uprising at the story's core. But audiences willing to put preconceptions aside and embrace this at face value can prepare for a thriller as terrifying as it is thought provoking.                                                                                     

Send Help

Director: Sam Raimi 
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O' Brien, Edyll Ismail, Dennis Haysbert, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Emma Raimi
Running Time: 113 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)  

Sam Raimi's Send Help is a survival story where you're not sure who should survive. But while under normal circumstances the refusal to give audiences someone to root for is seen as a glaring flaw, that's what makes this experience more gripping, especially after an opening that has us wondering whether we're in for a total disaster. And though not without certain imperfections, it's compulsively watchable, as Raimi commits to the absurdity, shifting between farce and barbaric horror to deliver a cleverly twisted morality tale. 

Despite fan comparisons and minor stylistic similarities, this bares little resemblance to Raimi's The Evil Dead or Drag Me to Hell, aside from finding the director back in top form, doing what he's best at. And though the jury's still out on the film's rewatch value, it's undeniably loads of fun, even when you're occasionally distracted by some oddball choices or questionable CGI. But after a bit, hardly any of that matters, due mostly to its great premise and a brilliant performance from Rachel McAdams that feels as if she's hitting half a dozen notes at once, each more intriguing than the next. 

Hardworking but awkward and goofy financial planning strategist Linda Liddle (McAdams) is expecting a long deserved promotion from new CEO Billy Preston (Dylan O' Brien), who recently inherited his deceased father's company. Instead, he passes Linda over for former fraternity brother Donovan (Xavier Samuel), citing her overbearing personality and nerdy appearance. But when Bradley reluctantly has her tag along with the team for a trip to Bangkok to help finalize a merger, the plane hits a storm and crashes, killing everyone except Linda and Bradley, who wash up separately on a remote island. 

Putting her Survivor fandom to good use, Linda builds a shelter, gathers food and nurses the ungrateful Bradley back to health despite him continuing to treat her as if she's his underling. But irritated and desperate to escape, what he doesn't count on is his abused employee suddenly calling the shots. And for him to have any chance at leaving and reuniting with his model fiancée Zuri (Edyll Ismail), he'd be wise to start cooperating. Gradually, Linda and Bradley begin to peacefully co-exist, but with rescue imminent, neither remain capable of fully trusting the other, leading to explosive results.  

Some of the early office scenes are really over-the-top in establishing these two characters, especially the bookwormish Linda, whose cringeworthy, borderline cartoonish behavior in social situations has uncomfortable bosses and co-workers looking to heave themselves out of the nearest window. At first, it's hard to believe she's somehow this superstar employee, but McAdams manages to sell that also, painting this portrait of a people pleasing do-gooder who shoulders all the work these high level executives dump on her and take credit for. 

After meeting the company's heir apparent in O' Brien's arrogant, entitled Bradley, the irritating Linda suddenly seems more sympathetic, if not the better end of the deal. Silently fuming over her treatment, she begrudgingly puts up with the guys' behavior right up until the exciting, comedically gory plane crash that reveals just how hopeless everyone is without her help. Especially Bradley, who miraculously survives, only to find himself stranded with the last person he wants to spend an extra minute with. Worse yet, he's now entirely dependent on her support. 

Really in her element on this island, Linda reveals surprising survival instincts that would make Jeff Probst proud, emerging as a completely different, more confident person when out from under the thumb of her demeaning boss. Of course Bradley doesn't take kindly to his subservient position, hinting at an inevitable clash as he continues to show his true colors as a grown baby incapable of working with others. But the strongest portion of the film arrives when they appear to reach a compromise, opening up about their very revealing histories and finding some common ground.  

Since this tentative truce can't last, we anxiously wait for the big payoff. And does it ever come, with a few jaw dropping scenes, most notably one involving an octopus toxin. Linda has to feel needed while Bradley must regain control, creating a recipe for the kind of conflict that couldn't happen during a regular work day. But on this island, all bets are off. One of them has to turn on the other, and when it happens, Raimi revs up for a diabolically dark and comical third act filled with violence and a polarizing twist sure to grab viewers' attention. 

There's also that pesky issue of "rescue," a word and concept that doesn't register equally for both. As shallow as it is or how little he seems to appreciate it, Bradley has a life to go back to while Linda's consists of watching Survivor with her pet bird. We see the toll that this and the secret she's carrying has taken, understanding why a return to the status quo is her worst nightmare. For now, she's in charge, and plans on pulling out all the stops to keep it that way. 

McAdams is given material to figuratively and literally sink her teeth into opposite a co-star who's up to the challenge. But the film rests entirely on her shoulders as she obscures the clumsier elements in Damian Shannon and Mark Swift's script with a tour de force turn that deserves recognition. Given the genre, that might be an uphill climb, but the concept is fresh in how it pits two shades of grey characters against each other in this life-or-death scenario. And that smash cut at the end is a kicker, as Raimi and editor Bob Murowski go out with one of the more memorably jarring transitions we've seen. 

Tables turn quickly when these adversaries' worst instincts rise to the surface while cruelly and selfishly angling for the upper hand. Viewers are awkwardly urged to choose sides, picking their poison between a wacked out weirdo and misogynistic pig. And yet it somehow becomes much more complicated than that as the story evolves. Less Cast Away than Lord of the Flies or Yellowjackets, it's a biting, often hilarious satire about how power dynamics can flip on a dime once everything else is stripped away.