Perhaps the most terrifying space known to man is the unknown depths of the ocean. No matter how many studies from marine biologists, deep sea fishers or even the service men and woman in the many submarines around world, the ocean and what lives within it, is still a mystery. Having said that, this film was more of personal story about the reconciliation between a father and son. Even so, the opening 20 or so minutes of the film set up the terror and stressful nature of the incident that wisely causes the audience to focus in on the lead character for the remainder of the film. The event itself was truly terrifying and never relented as you feel the desperation and loss of hope for a solid 90 minutes. That was this films strongest asset and I was pleased how it all played out and resolved. The father and son story gave the film a more emotional shell that was unexpected and I did enjoy the performances all around.
Austin Abrams keeps delivering great performances and as the lead of the film, Jay, he delivers a truly harrowing performance. From the beginning, you understand Jay's reluctance to revisit his family after a his father's death. I felt his sense of it being more of a chore instead of a necessity. His relationship with the rest of his family was good, but I think the strongest chemistry he had in the film was with his oldest sister Eva, played wonderfully by Jane Levy. Once Jay is off on his journey, the nightmare scenario happens to him as he is swallowed by the massive sperm whale in perhaps the most terrifying sequence of the year. Its not quick either as it happens in a sort of wave of catastrophe after another and once he's inside, it is truly an emotional ride of survival and Austin delivers an amazing performance throughout. The desperation, loss of hope, pain and problem solving that goes on as the physical horror of being in a whale's stomach takes hold, was truly insane. Josh Brolin delivers a punishing and sad performance as his Jay's father, Mitt. He was the type of father that never really showed too much love in the traditional sense, but his way of affection came in the way of life saving knowledge he imparted on Jay. It was a rough relationship to say the least, but there is a payoff as the film progresses.
The score by composer Joseph Trapanese was exciting and elevated the intensity of the film events as they transpired. From the terror of the initial event to the discovery of the internal nightmare of the whale, his score delivered on so many levels. The more retrospective, emotional and spiritual moments of the film were great with Joseph's melodic tone. Visually, the film was stunning. The showcase begins after the initial dive into the ocean and eventually the interior of the whale. I loved the bioluminescent lighting of the interior of the whale as it highlighted the practical set around Austin. The sound design was fantastic even with Jay's muffled dialogue. The fact that he's speaking for the majority with his oxygen mask and tube and you can understand him, was a great exercise in diction that should be studied. Overall, I truly enjoyed this survival story and the heartbreaking father and son story. It was a great time and I highly recommend seeing it in a premium theatre because the concussive echo location sound design was delightful. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
