It was all the way back in March 2024 that we first reported on this curious sounding-new survival thriller – Whalefall. Have we really all been here, as Outposters, for that long? Even longer, you say? Who would have ever thought we would still be doing this together? But here we are. Anyway…
Well, Whalefall is actually here. It’s a real thing, and it is out in theaters this weekend. The reviews are now in for the film, which follows Austin Abrams as a scuba diver caught up in a high-tension survival scenario playing out in real time.
Diving off the central coast of California in search of his late father’s remains, he is unexpectedly swallowed by a massive sperm whale. Trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, and he realises that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.
So what do the reviews say? To the summary pages!…
“A biblical calamity that plays out in giddily squishy and stifling fashion, Brian Duffield’s film is all about inducing intense squirms, and on that basis, it proves amusing genre pulp.”
Nick Shager, The Daily Beast
“Whalefall is without question the best movie I’ve ever seen about someone being swallowed by a whale. And beyond its achievements within that very specific subgenre, it manages to deliver a cathartic experience that’s very human, even relatable.”
Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
“An absurdly entertaining mix of family melodrama, survivalist thriller, and exceptionally gooey horror flick.”
Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail
“Nobody in their right mind would say anything that happens in ‘Whalefall’ is plausible, but the implausibility is inherent to the premise and the premise is rad as hell. Brian Duffield is 100% committed to the bit, which makes ‘Whalefall’ a wild ride.”
William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“Even when the metaphor is painfully on the nose, the film’s most disturbing images are more than their dramatic limitations and a whale is still an astonishing place to spend a movie.”
Alison Foreman, Indiewire
“A mutant sea monster, one that’s half gross-out B-movie and half flashback-heavy emotional flotsam.”
Jacob Oller, AV Club
“As eye-rollingly dumb as it is, this is a drama in the business of healing, of nature in all its savage nobility soothing wounds and mending bonds. Or something.”
David Rooney, THR
The movie co-stars Elisabeth Shue. I had no idea this movie co-starred Elisabeth Shue until right now! Why does nobody ever tell me anything around here? It also co-stars John Ortiz, Jane Levy and Emily Rudd. It is based on a novel by Daniel Kraus and directed by Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You).
Whalefall will open in cinemas tomorrow – October 16th.
