Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Xavier Samuel 
Where to watch: JioHotstar
To watch or not to watch: It is a fun movie, subverts genre in the best way and makes for a good movie for a night in, but somehow… you know… not that great

Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is a manager at a consulting company, is very efficient, slightly socially awkward, dresses for function rather than fashion and as a result is overlooked for a much-anticipated promotion. What rubs salt on wounds is that she is passed over for a person who has been at the company for only six months, versus her 7 years, passes off her work as his, and plays golf with the boss, hence the promotion. Speaking of the boss, Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) – he has recently inherited the company from his father, the same father who valued Linda’s contribution to the company and had all but promised her a vice-president position, which has kept her going. She is asked to prove herself once more on a trip to Bangkok on a private plane, where she decides that she has had enough and deletes her important document, right before the plane hits turbulence. Only Linda and Bradley survive the crash, Bradley with a serious injury. Now, our Linda is a Survivor enthusiast and has even auditioned for the show, so she is unarguably more suited to being stranded on an island than loafer-wearing Bradley. Linda nurses him, forages for food, builds shelter, basically is an all-around superstar, while Bradley is a whiney man-child who thinks he can build a raft off the island. She thrives on the island, really coming into herself (even her make-up is better), and he gets sunburnt – well, you get the gist. But there is more to Linda than what appears – she hasn’t forgotten how she was treated, and the bitterness is compounded by her loneliness, resulting in a movie which is a hybrid between slasher horror-comedy and thriller.

This movie is wont to leave viewers with confusion and opposing views because on the one hand it s well directed and written, but on the other, the twists are genre subverting in a way which doesn’t fit the narrative as a whole. Sam Raimi goes back to his Evil Dead roots with some of the gore and slasher scenes which give the movie an extra outworldly oomph (could have done without the gore, but it doesn’t take away anything from the movie, in fact, adds humour at some points). This movie is largely a two-handers with McAdams and O’Brien working with and over each other. Their dynamics in the movie as actors and characters they play is top-notch, and the reason why the movie is not trash. Another good thing is that the movie is original, with a premise most of us with day jobs will find relatable, and there is a ready hero of our stories in Linda at first blush.

If you check the internet, you will find people who have diametrically opposite views of the movie, and that is totally understandable. It is divisive in its greyness. Any more explanation and we will enter spoiler territory. Maybe it is something everyone decides for themselves – their choices in lives, and what makes them the way they are, which is not always and not in entirety in their control. Leaving you with such a crystal clear review, will definitely help you decide if you want to watch it or not. Not. It is a good movie, it is fun, thrilling, emotional and thought provoking. Do watch it with people so you can discuss and debate about it later.
(Interesting coincidence that this post is similar to the previous one in having Thailand as the location)