Whalefall review – slimy survival thriller traps us in a whale and struggles to make it digestible
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>Austin Abrams gets eaten by a sperm whale in an overlong and flashback-heavy adaptation of Daniel Kraus’s hit novel that only has us on edge in moments</p><p>Spare a thought for poor Austin Abrams, who, having just endured the world’s worst, and gloopiest, courier assignment in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/16/resident-evil-reboot-movie-review">Resident Evil</a>, has now been trapped inside a sperm whale …</p><p>The immensely likable Euphoria alum (has any show in recent memory provided quite as many genuine stars?) brings what he can to Brian Duffield’s rather soggy adaptation of Pulitzer prize-winner Daniel Kraus’s acclaimed novel Whalefall. But there’s not a great deal he <em>can</em> do, despite being in every scene of what’s his second studio lead in a month, other than scream and writhe and look understandably alarmed. It’s a setup that’s grabby enough to have us wonder just how the hell it’s going to play out (what if that one scene in Finding Nemo but a whole movie) but it just doesn’t work as a 106-minute adventure, too overstretched and too silly to have us rooting for his escape and caring how he might orchestrate it.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/15/whalefall-review-movie">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
Austin Abrams gets eaten by a sperm whale in an overlong and flashback-heavy adaptation of Daniel Kraus’s hit novel that only has us on edge in momentsSpare a thought for poor Austin Abrams, who, having just endured the world’s worst, and gloopiest, courier assignment in Resident Evil, has now been trapped inside a sperm whale …The immensely likable Euphoria alum (has any show in recent memory provided quite as many genuine stars?) brings what he can to Brian Duffield’s rather soggy adaptation of Pulitzer prize-winner Daniel Kraus’s acclaimed novel Whalefall. But there’s not a great deal he can do, despite being in every scene of what’s his second studio lead in a month, other than scream and writhe and look understandably alarmed. It’s a setup that’s grabby enough to have us wonder just how the hell it’s going to play out (what if that one scene in Finding Nemo but a whole movie) but it just doesn’t work as a 106-minute adventure, too overstretched and too silly to have us rooting for his escape and caring how he might orchestrate it. Continue reading...
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