Plot
Linda Liddle is an overlooked employee at a large firm, who has been promised a VP position by the owner of the company. However when he dies, and leaves his son Bradley in charge, Jr has other ideas with the company, and they don’t include Linda!
When they are on a routine overseas trip to make a big sale, their plane crashes, and Linda and Bradley find themselves marooned on a deserted island. The sheltered Bradley suffers without, but Linda – who sees herself as an outdoorsy type blooms, and soon their dynamic shifts… and she becomes “the boss”….
Direction
Directed by Sam Raimi, it is over the top B Grade violent – with some great use of what is presumably 3D technology (I did not get a chance to see this in its full).
There are some uses of ultra close up shots in the beginning (like when Bradley orders the POTUS… sorry wrong franchise… to smell his shirt – and a large computerised pan out on the first arrival to the island.
There are plenty of moments of wince that might make you uncomfortable (especially if like me you have a thing about eyes… and I work in optometry!!).
He gives more thriller than horror in what I thought was going to be.
Cast
Rachel McAdams gives a tour deforce performance as Linda. She starts the film as the eccentric loner within the company, who lets everyone walk over her. When she gets to the island, she comes “out of her shell” – and becomes more stunning the worse her situation gets. They did a great job of “uglying” her up in the beginning.
Dylan O’Brien plays Bradley Prescott, who takes over his dads business, immediately hiring and promoting his “bros” into the VP position. He is great at the back and forth between Linda. You couldn’t have picked two better actors for these roles.
The scene where they discuss their past lives, who they were before they met – his parents, and her husband is simply incredible. McAdams should get an Oscar nomination just for this scene alone!
Breakdown
We are quickly introduced to our main two characters, and we get a sense that Linda is a big outdoorsy type (with a rather aggressive opening credits that show all her survival books, as well as photos of her on her many trips) – but in person she is socially awkward, to the point almost neurodivergent with how she converses with people. This leads new CEO Bradley to opt out of his dads plan to give her a VP position, instead giving it to one of his “frat” bros.
The day after his arrival, Bradley and his bros, as well as Linda head off to Hong Kong for a business meeting, and during the plane trip (where the guys find Linda’s audition tape to be on Survivor, laughing out loud all the time), the plane crashes (in a rather CGI heavy and slightly comical) into the ocean. Linda and Bradley wash ashore a deserted(?) island.
Here I wish they did a little more in the way of the Linda/Bradley dynamic – they could have really made their ‘relationship’ more conflicted – maybe adding montage of ‘time elapse’ to really sell the Bradley is a horrible boss. Because before this, some of what he suggests (Linda isn’t really a people person, Linda should eat in the lunch room instead of her desk… is actually not terrible management)
Bradley is injured, and unable to cope without his cushy surroundings, but Linda’s survival instincts kick in instantly. She becomes content with her surroundings, and man-child Bradley acts as he presumably is – being condescending and not appreciating how hard she is working, even refusing to eat the meal she cooked. I thought it would be funnier if they made Bradley vegan or something similar – this would have been so much funnier if they really made him to extra arrogant.
Throughout their ordeal they slowly become content with each other, and it really feels like Linda’s whole identity changes. She starts off the film as an ugly duckling – and the longer she is on the island, the more beautiful she becomes (hats off to the make up department for ugging up the gorgeous Rachel McAdams in the start!).
They have moments of one upping each other, but it is generally Linda who gets the upper hand (especially after he tries to poison her and escape). Her “don’t confuse my kindness for weakness” scene is brutal… especially given how the camera plays with their positions (and make you think she really did what he thought she was doing…IYKYK!)
The mid film view that Linda has of the boat, is revealed to be a holiday home of a presumably billionaire near the end of the film. Linda’s inability to let Bradley know, and give up the ‘new position’ she has reminded me of Abigail in ‘Triangle of Sadness’. They both were the bottom of the totem pole, and then put in a similar situation (on a deserted island – finding possible rescue, and losing the leadership position they’ve longed for).
I didn’t “love” Zuri’s arrival on the island, but I understand it was a stepping stone to get to the ultimate showdown between Linda and Bradley (and what a showdown!). The ‘one year later’ segment was the right way to go as well.
Overall
What an amazing experience watching this. The premise is fun, the action is better, and the performances are top notch.
Less Horror than I expected, with a great story about ‘identity’. Only a few small downs, but a super fun ride. Check out my Podcast on this one too.
4.5/5
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