The idea of getting swallowed by a whale and having just 60 minutes to escape its stomach is pretty wild, especially when you’re trying to turn it into a feature-length movie. But that’s exactly what makes “Whalefall” such an intriguing premise. Director Brian Duffield adapts Daniel Kraus’ 2023 novel, which was inspired by a viral video of kayakers who nearly ended up inside a humpback whale’s mouth. That real-life encounter sparked an idea that eventually grew into a full-blown survival thriller, with Austin Abrams playing the unfortunate soul who finds himself trapped inside the enormous animal.
- Rating: 4/5 stars
- Verdict: “Whalefall” is a breathless survival thriller that had me cringing, gasping and gripping my seat. Austin Abrams excels in its claustrophobic body horror, though convenient flashbacks occasionally interrupt the tension. Despite some storytelling hiccups, this bizarre, visceral underwater nightmare is absolutely worth experiencing on the big screen.
- Where to watch: "Whalefall" is now in theaters
While I knew the basic premise of "Whalefall" going in, I’d deliberately avoided most of the trailers. The movie follows Jay Gardiner (Abrams), a young scuba diver searching for his late father’s (Josh Brolin) remains off the California coast. But things take a terrifying turn when a massive sperm whale swallows him whole, leaving him with just one hour of oxygen to find a way out. As you’d expect, much of the movie sees Jay trapped inside the whale’s stomach, battling stomach acid and the animal’s digestive process while confronting his troubled past and fighting to stay alive.
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