WHALEFALL

The combination of Austin Abrams, excellent production value, and a scenic Monterey, CA setting saves WHALEFALL from the abyss, as ridiculous as this movie is. I read Daniel Kraus’s novel earlier this year on the recommendation of my brother and fellow SFR contributor, Tavish. We were getting our SCUBA certifications in Monterey at the time, which made the book especially relevant, since it’s, well, about a SCUBA diver in Monterey.

I went into the book knowing nothing about the story, and I was genuinely surprised to learn what it’s really about. Unfortunately, much of the film’s marketing gives away the premise, so most audiences won’t go in completely blind. If you’re one of the rare few who haven’t seen the trailers (or some of the posters), try to keep it that way.

That said, the movie carries over all the same problems as the novel. It’s a relatively faithful adaptation…to its detriment. (Kraus co-wrote the screenplay with director Brian Duffield.) The story centers on Jay Gardiner and his father, Mitt (Josh Brolin). Both that character and Brolin’s performance are one-note; Mitt never gets past surface level. That leaves a gap where the film’s emotional core should be, because, while Abrams brings real range as Jay, Brolin, whose performances I generally enjoy, gives him almost nothing to play off of. After WEAPONS and RESIDENT EVIL, it’s clear Abrams’ rise is no fluke, and he’s easily the standout here.

Visually, the movie is excellent. A couple of scenes in particular leap out – one is an encounter between sperm whales and orcas that has the choreography of a STAR WARS space battle and the cinematography of DUNE: PART TWO’s Harkonnen arena scene. The film makes extensive use of practical sets, and the effort shows. Duffield has said he treated the set as a character in its own right, and that approach absolutely pays off.

Ultimately, WHALEFALL suffers from the sins of its source material: a premise that’s hard to swallow and weak supporting character motivations. But it’s not a bad movie. Enough passion went into this project to make it worth seeing.

WHALEFALL is now playing in theaters.