Whalefall Review: Austin Abrams Anchors An Earnest Survival Thriller And Miraculous Adaptation

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Countless books have been deemed "unadaptable" over the years, seemingly defying even the idea of translating what works on the page into moving pictures; "Whalefall" is the rare novel that actually earns that label. Author Daniel Kraus may not have set out with the intention to confound Hollywood's best and brightest, but the results are pretty convincing all the same. His 2023 novel presents itself as a survivalist thriller unlike any you've experienced before — one practically begging for the big-screen treatment. A sperm whale hunting a giant squid ends up swallowing a scuba diver whole, setting off a desperate fight to escape in the limited amount of time and oxygen left. But this (surprisingly scientifically-plausible) tale soon transforms into an internal, almost existential drama about grief, regret, and all the things we leave unsaid.

So leave it to Brian Duffield, the filmmaker behind the high-concept "Spontaneous" and alien-invasion flick "No One Will Save You," to come through with yet another magic trick in a filmography already highlighted by one or two of those. Against all odds, "Whalefall" nimbly evokes the depths of Kraus' prose (who, along with Duffield, is also credited as a co-writer on the screenplay) without sacrificing any of its most abstract and surrealistic visuals. This is a film built on the sincerity and earnestness of Steven Spielberg or the Wachowski sisters, that captures the horrors of the unknown with the dread of "Alien" (yes, really), and ultimately brushes against the profound emotions of a masterpiece like "Gravity."

The fact that this all comes wrapped in such a commercially mainstream package only speaks to what Duffield and every member of the production have achieved here. Buoyed by Austin Abrams' ever-expressive performance, breakneck pacing, and a killer hook, "Whalefall" aims high and pulls off a miraculous adaptation. 

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As far as Jonah parables go, "Whalefall" doesn't shy away from its most obvious metaphors on the surface. Early on, Brian Duffield's and Daniel Kraus' flashback-heavy script spends much of its 106-minute runtime establishing the complicated father/son dynamic between Austin Abrams' Jay and his late father Mitt (Josh Brolin), a local diving legend in the California community surrounding Monastery Beach. The life-saving hero and playful family man that so many remember him to be (including Jay's mom, played by Elizabeth Shue, and his sisters, played by Emily Rudd and Jane Levy) simply doesn't jive with the overbearing, occasionally cruel figure who dominated Jay's childhood and adolescence. It's little surprise that he packed up and ran away the second he was old enough, leaving behind the traumatic memories of his last interaction with the terminally-ill Mitt and never looking back ... until, that is, he returns a year later to help his family (and himself) find some semblance of closure.

Much has been made of the show-stopping sequence that kicks off the action in "Whalefall" — and for very good reason. While grieving the death by suicide of his estranged dad and attempting to recover his remains lost at sea, Jay encounters a majestic (and terrifying) giant squid and ultimately ends up on the wrong end of a sperm whale attack. The cinematic set piece, filmed with all the beauty and horror to be found in the deep sea, is visceral and relentless and breathtaking in equal measure. And, somehow, that's only an appetizer to the claustrophobic, nightmarish main course that awaits Jay once he ends up (um, not-so-spoiler alert) trapped in the belly of the great fish mammal.

Like "Jaws" before it, you'll never want to go in the water again after this.

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Where "Whalefall" goes from there is a journey best experienced fresh, even for those who've read the book. Part of that is because much of the magic of the film comes from the wonder and awe of figuring out how Brian Duffield, cinematographer Aaron Morton, production designer Ramsey Avery, and the rest of the creative team actually pulled this off. Morton and Duffield keep the camera up close and personal on Austin Abrams' (mostly) one-man show as much as they can — which only makes the moments when the lens draws back and soaks in the scale of the deep-sea setting all the more stunning. Once things get a little more compact, Avery's living and breathing sets become a main character in their own right. It's a safe bet that no other film this year will be as reliant on sound design as this one is, whether it be composer Joseph Trapanese's stirring score at the forefront of the action (before dropping out completely at pivotal points) or the soundscape contributing to our prevailing sense of unease.

At no point does this ever feel like anything less than technical wizardry come alive, but it's Abrams who deserves plaudits for bringing all this together. The "Resident Evil" star and "Weapons" scene-stealer has to crawl, slosh, and squeeze his way through a series of half-flooded stomach chambers, dodging unexpected dangers — including an awfully persistent squid — as he does so. It's as physical a performance as it gets, but loaded with the extra baggage (quite literally speaking) of lugging around scuba equipment and a rebreather obscuring half his face. Fortunately, Abrams puts this film on his shoulders and commits with wholehearted abandon.

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All of this makes "Whalefall" an unbearably tense survival story and a heart-in-your-throat thriller — but what makes this a pitch-perfect adaptation may also be the aspect that divides audiences the most. It's not giving anything away to say that the book goes to some seriously metaphysical, even spiritual places during Jay's most desperate low points. Of course, the written page has the advantage of putting us squarely in his headspace and laying out his internal monologue for us. How the movie gets around this potential obstacle is both clever and nuanced, but will also have the side effect of jarring viewers who may not have expected such a heartfelt and nakedly emotional approach.

This is, after all, a narrative all about trying (and oftentimes failing) to forge connections with those who loom largest in our lives. Anyone who's dealt with the death of a parent or even just the hopelessly complicated web of relationships that defines family will likely come away moved by how "Whalefall" handles its most delicate dynamics. But that also means the more jaded and cynical among us might be hard-pressed not to abandon ship once things get really, unabashedly sincere. I'll put it this way: This is a movie for those of us who didn't laugh ourselves silly at a movie like M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs" and its famous "Swing away, Merrill" moment. Does that lead to unfortunately blunt (though book-accurate) lines of dialogue like, "The whale is forever"? It sure does. Will this gooey tone still put many on the verge of tears? Undoubtedly.

"Whalefall" is gripping, moving, and earnest to a fault, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

/Film Rating: 8 out of 10

"Whalefall" opens in theaters on October 16, 2026.