After two straight weekends of critically mauled wide releases, Hollywood is throwing "Whalefall" and "Street Fighter" at us this week. Both hit theaters on Friday, and although the latter is still embargoed, the first wave of reviews for the former are in.
The verdict? Fine. With 50 reviews counted, "Whalefall" sits at a decent 79% on Rotten Tomatoes (6.8/10 average) and a middling 62 on Metacritic, based on 23 reviews. It's not a knockout, but for a movie like this, especially after a somewhat disappointing final trailer, it's not bad.
Austin Abrams is having quite the fall. Just a month after "Resident Evil," he's once again stuck in a thrill ride. This time he plays a diver searching the central California coast for his late father's remains, only to get swallowed whole by a sperm whale. He's trapped in its belly with about an hour of oxygen, and his only way out may be the survival lessons his dad drilled into him.
It's a ridiculous premise, and reviews aren’t great, but what critics appreciate most is that the film never flinches, committing fully to the absurdity rather than winking at it. It hasn't landed with the same force as "Resident Evil," but it has its fans.
It's a ridiculous premise, and reviews aren’t great, but what critics appreciate most is that the film never flinches, committing fully to the absurdity rather than winking at it.