A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my experience seeing Resident Evil (2026). 10/10, great movie, by the way. During the previews, I saw a trailer for a movie called Whalefall, in which the main character gets...stuck inside a whale?! My (then) boyfriend and I turned to each other, thoroughly bemused, with him immediately asking, "Like the guy from the Bible?!" (Interestingly, my first thought
was the traumatic scene from Pinocchio, but Jonah is also a solid reference.)
We agreed that it was a pretty wild premise and didn't think much of it afterward. But as the movie's release approached, I kept seeing people talk about it on my feed. There were mainly two conversations happening: first, Austin Abrams has become the latest White Boy of the Month following Resident Evil, and his new and longtime fans were excited to see him in another movie so soon. Second, people were questioning whether "dude inside a whale" was a ridiculous concept for a film and worrying that it might damage whales' reputations the way Jaws did sharks'.
Eventually, I discovered that Whalefall was actually based on a book, and that the story was less "Jaws but with a whale" and more "127 Hours but in the ocean." My curiosity was officially piqued, so I picked up a copy to read before heading to the theater. And now that I've experienced both versions, let's get into it!
BOOK THOUGHTS:
For those unfamiliar with the story, Whalefall by Daniel Kraus follows 17-year-old Jay Gardiner, who goes scuba diving off the California coast in search of his deceased father's remains. Instead, he finds himself swallowed by a massive whale. With limited oxygen, Jay has to quickly figure out how to escape before he's digested, all while confronting memories of his complicated relationship with his father.
Yes, you read that correctly. A teenage boy gets swallowed by a whale, and the rest of the story is essentially a race against the clock. But while the survival premise is what initially grabs your attention, the emotional core of the book is what makes it worth reading.
At its heart, Whalefall is a story about grief, complicated family relationships, and the ways our experiences with our parents can shape how we see ourselves. Jay's relationship with his father is far from simple, and his journey through the whale becomes as much an emotional reckoning as a physical fight for survival. The story explores how difficult it can be to process the loss of someone you had a complicated relationship with, especially when there are unresolved feelings and things left unsaid.
I've seen some readers describe Jay as "whiny," and honestly, that's not entirely inaccurate. He's a teenager, he's dealing with a lot of emotional baggage, and he's literally fighting for his life inside a whale. I think he's earned a little room to complain! More importantly, his frustrations and reactions make sense when you consider everything he's been through. It's one of those things where you really get Jay when you've been Jay.
I think this is a particularly compelling read for anyone who has a complicated relationship with a parent or their family in general. There's something painfully relatable about trying to make sense of your feelings toward someone you love(d), even when that relationship wasn't always a healthy or happy one. The book's survival/horror premise is certainly attention-grabbing, but the emotional depth underneath gives the story some weight.
MOVIE THOUGHTS:
I'll start by saying the film is quite good, although I have a reader nitpick. The movie adaptation struggles with something a lot of book-to-screen adaptations face: figuring out how to translate a character's internal thoughts into something an audience can actually see and hear.
The book is told largely from Jay's perspective, with much of the science, logic, and emotional context explained through his thoughts and flashbacks. Book Jay can walk us through the physics of his predicament, explain what he's trying to do, and reflect on his past all in his own head. Movie Jay, unfortunately, can't exactly pause the action to give us a detailed TED Talk while he's being digested.
To work around this, the film adds scenes and conversations that communicate important information to the audience. And that makes sense! Unless the filmmakers wanted Austin Abrams narrating the entire movie, they had to find a way to explain what was happening through dialogue, visual cues, and Jay's actions. Unfortunately, some of that exposition feels a little awkward and clunky. It's not necessarily bad, but there are moments when you can practically feel the movie checking a box to make sure the audience understands what's going on. I just wish some of that information had been woven into the story a little more naturally.
Some of this also comes down to pacing. The movie wastes absolutely no time getting Jay into the ocean and into trouble. We get to the whale FAST, which is great if you're here for the survival thriller, but it also means the film has less room to develop some of the emotional nuances that make the book so compelling.
That said, Austin Abrams does a fantastic job conveying just how horrifying Jay's situation is. I genuinely felt his despair through the screen. The physical struggle, the desperation, and the sheer terror of being trapped inside a living creature are all conveyed effectively. I realized that while reading the book I mentally "softened" some of the descriptions to make it seem less graphic, but the movie doesn't hold back in the violent and disturbing imagery from inside the whale. Whatever your thoughts on the premise, the movie does a good job of making you feel the urgency of Jay's fight to survive.
Overall, the film stays fairly loyal to the book, although it makes a few changes, mostly rearranging events for storytelling purposes. I'd describe it as a bare-bones version of the source material: it captures the overarching story and its emotional core while leaving out some of the smaller details and character development that make the book more intricate.
I don't think those changes ruin the movie, but I do think reading the book first gave me a greater appreciation for what the film was trying to accomplish. The story is doing two things at once—delivering a tense survival thriller and exploring a young man's complicated feelings about his father—and the book simply has more room to balance those elements.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Ultimately, I enjoyed experiencing Whalefall in both formats, even if I connected with the book a little more. The movie delivers on the premise and benefits from Austin Abrams' performance, but the book offers a more layered exploration of grief, family, and everything Jay is struggling to work through.
I can see this being a movie that finds its audience on streaming. It's an intriguing premise, an intense survival story, and a relatively straightforward adaptation for viewers who want the broad strokes without committing to the book. And if the movie leaves you wanting a little more depth, that's where the book comes in!
So, if you've been curious about Whalefall, I'd recommend giving the book a chance, especially if stories about complicated family relationships resonate with you. Just enjoy the ride, appreciate the emotional baggage, and come away with a newfound respect for the fact that— at least for now—we are not on the menu for whales.
TTYL,
Eryn <3
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