‘Whalefall’ Review: Austin Abrams is swallowed by a sperm whale in immersive survival drama

Talk about a nightmare come to life. 

If you have an overwhelming fear of the ocean or being eaten by a whale, perhaps “Whalefall” isn’t for you. But if you can stomach, well, being in the stomach of one of Earth’s biggest mammals for about 90 minutes, you’re in for a whale of a time. 

“Whalefall,” adapted from the 2023 novel by Daniel Kraus, follows Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams), a college student haunted by the passing of his cancer-stricken estranged father Mitt (Josh Brolin). Mitt, an enthusiastic but erratic scuba diver, had committed suicide by sinking himself in the water off the California coast. 

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Feeling guilty about leaving home and not being there for his father’s final moments, Jay commits himself to finding his father’s remains underwater.

However, Jay’s search is upended when he’s swallowed by a giant sperm whale.

For the rest of the film, Jay is literally fighting for his life with less than an hour’s worth of oxygen in his tank as he attempts to escape from the belly of the beast, which sometimes involves fighting other creatures, including a giant squid the whale also swallowed. Throughout the ordeal, the film flashes back to his tumultuous relationship with his father.

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Austin Abrams has certainly been getting his reps in as a leading man with his other movie, “Resident Evil,” still performing well at the box office. There’s just something inherently likable about him that will have audiences wanting to root for him, which works in this underdog, truly David vs. Goliath story. 

Brian Duffield, who previously wrote and directed 2023’s alien thriller “No One Will Save You,” sure knows how to build suspense with a solo character. What leaves me baffled is how his team brought to life what it’s like to be trapped inside a whale. It’s difficult to tell where the visual effects end and practical effects and set designs begin. You feel like you’re there with Jay.

The third act kind of gets lost in the current for me, and 15 minutes of blubber could’ve been trimmed from the runtime. And why cast someone like Elisabeth Shue to play Jay’s mother and then completely underutilize her? 

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“Whalefall” is a thrilling and immersive survival drama that rides on the tail of Abrams’ endearing and heart-wrenching performance and offers promise from Duffield as a rising filmmaker. While this isn’t exactly a must-see and not for the faint of heart, this is the type of movie that is best served for the big screen. Whatever you decide, just make sure you come up for air. 

“Whalefall” is rated PG-13 for peril, violent content, bloody images, some strong language, and thematic content. Running time: 1 hour, 46 minutes. In theaters now.