Whalefall Reactions: Critics Call Abrams a Rising Star

The first wave of reactions to Brian Duffield's Whalefall are here, and Screen Rant has the early verdicts. Critics and content creators who caught early screenings are calling Austin Abrams' performance the anchor of a film that is equal parts survival horror and family drama.

Whalefall follows Jay Gardiner (Abrams) as he dives to recover his father's remains and ends up swallowed by a sperm whale. The cast includes Josh Brolin, Emily Rudd, Jane Levy, Elisabeth Shue and John Ortiz. Duffield previously directed Underwater.

Screen Rant reports that editor Phil Roberts called the film "a new claustrophobic classic" and praised Abrams alongside Brolin, noting "phenomenal CGI effects." Content creator Adam Hlaváč said the escape-from-a-whale premise was "more stressful than I thought it could be" and recommended seeing it on a large format.

Critic Erik Davis told Screen Rant the film "firmly cements Austin Abrams as one of fall's most exciting rising stars." Davis praised Duffield for letting the whale sequences "evolve and escalate in tension" while the story outside builds into something larger, calling it "a moving story about managing grief."

Not every reaction was unqualified. Content creator Dawson noted the film "at times takes itself a little too seriously for a film about a man being eaten by a whale," balanced against "beautiful cinematography" and "great use of production design."

Zac Haniff, quoted by Screen Rant, joked that Abrams' back must be "ACHING" after carrying both Resident Evil and Whalefall in the same month, noting Disney somehow "manage to make it work" despite the premise.

Editor Naomi summed up the emerging consensus: "Not sure anyone would have bet on Abrams being Hollywood's next biggest star, but he's magnetic."

Whalefall doesn't have a release date yet. If the early reactions hold, Duffield has turned a premise that could have been a gimmick into a genuine contender for fall's surprise hit.

• Austin Abrams
• Brian Duffield
• Disney
• Josh Brolin
• Survival thriller
• Whalefall