Now available on digital is the woman vs. whale drama, Killer Whale. The movie is currently available on Amazon Prime, Movies Anywhere, Fandango at Home, Apple TV, Google Play and YouTube. At this time I am not sure of any Blu-ray or DVD releases.
Killer Whale stars Virginia Gardner, Mel Jamson, and Mitchel Hope.
The story kicks off with Maddie (Gardner), a talented cellist dealing with severe emotional trauma and partial hearing loss after surviving a violent tragedy. Hoping to help her heal, Maddie’s energetic best friend, Trish (Jarnson), whisks her away to a gorgeous, sun-drenched resort island chain in Thailand.
While looking for adventure, they meet a local bartender named Josh (Hope), who convinces them to take a jet ski trip out to a secluded lagoon.
What starts as a picturesque vacation quickly turns into a nightmare. The trio finds themselves trapped in the water with Cito, a highly aggressive female orca. Having recently escaped from a poorly managed marine park after attacking her handlers, this killer whale isn’t just hunting, she’s angry.
The man vs. a creature from the ocean is nothing new. Movies that come to mind include the Jaws movie franchise, 47 Meters Down and The Meg. Normally the movies feature a shark vs. humans. Whales going after humans is not normally done.
This film brings to mind the 1977 film Orca where Richard Harris had to survive being stalked, and viciously attacked, by a Killer Whale. In that movie a Killer Whale was hell bent on killing Richard Harris’ character after witnessing him kill his mate and unborn baby. This film has that same feel to it.
I like that in this film it’s a woman who the whale is after. That is a nice twist. I think most people wouldn’t think a woman could take on a Killer Whale.
As I watched this film I couldn’t help be see bits and pieces of other movies, not only Orca and Jaws, but also The Shallows. In both movies the protagonist has to swim to a rock formation to get out of the water and in doing so gets hurt.
The acting was pretty decent. Gardner does a great job expressing her character’s Maddie’s grief and vulnerability. She makes you want to root for her character to survive because you want her to find peace and happiness. On the flip side you have Maddie’s bestie, Trish (Jamson) who is full of energy and gives you the vibe that she cares about her friend, but doesn’t take consequences too seriously (like breaking into a aquarium after hours).
The cinematography is pretty good. I loved the views the sweeping shots of Thailand’s tropical beaches and crystal-clear lagoons.
The CGI is low quality compared to other movies today. It is a straight to digital film, so that might be why. I liken the CGI effects to something you would seen in a SyFy Channel movie – a bit cheesy, but effective enough for the story.
In my opinion, Killer Whale sits right in the middle of the (wo)man vs. sea creature survival genre. It’s not quite a masterpiece, but it’s not a flop either.
If you are looking for a fast pace, action packed monster movie, the slow, trauma focused first part of the film will feel very sluggish to you. However, if you if you enjoy survival movies with a bit more character depth and don’t mind some imperfect CGI, it’s a perfectly entertaining watch for a movie night at home.
This film is rated “R” and has a run time of 89 minutes.
Below is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
*I received a free screener link in order to see the film for this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
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