Every aquatic horror filmmaker tries to imitate Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, but they end up recreating the laughably bad Jaws: The Revenge instead. Jo-Anne Brechin’s Killer Whale proves to be no different. Having said that, it’s better than the trailer suggests, so that’s at least something, right?
“This time it’s personal.” That’s not the tagline of Killer Whale, but it should be. Maddie (Virginia Gardner) experiences a heartbreaking tragedy, so her best friend, Trish (Mel Jarnson), whisks her away on a holiday to Thailand to forget about all her woes. Their fun in the sun takes a turn for the worse after they end up in the ocean, facing off against the hostile orca, Ceto, who wants revenge for a life spent in captivity. With nowhere to hide and no one else around, Maddie and Trish find themselves trapped and trying to figure out how to survive.
It isn’t too difficult to see where Katharine E. McPhee and Brechin found the idea for this story. A few years ago, there were reports of orcas attacking ships as some kind of revenge, with one captain telling Newsweek that these attacks were orchestrated – oh, the beautiful pun right here. In Ceto’s case, the orca decides to take out all her rage on Maddie and Trish, because all humans are bad. Tough to argue that, really.
Realistically, though, Killer Whale jumps the shark – another oceanic pun, yay – several times in this story. The way in which the orca ends up in the ocean is way too convenient, as is how Maddie and Trish find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. In addition to this, there’s the decision to add an unnecessary and overly dramatic twist to Maddie and Trish’s relationship that’ll result in more eyerolls than sympathy. This is aquatic horror, not Gossip Girl; sometimes, less is more.
As for the visual effects for Ceto, it’s a mixed bag. In certain parts of the movie, the orca comes across as believable, especially from a distance, but then there are other close-up moments that look cartoonish. Without a massive budget and access to the best special effects teams, this was always going to be a problem. Plus, you can’t apply the same hide-and-seek approach that Spielberg employed with Jaws. Orcas aren’t small creatures; if they’re hanging about in the ocean, you will see them.
Killer Whale‘s best moments are when Gardner and Jarnson sell the terror. They make the audience believe that they’re in genuine trouble and all hope is lost. When they’re stranded on a rock, you can’t help but be sucked into the tension and feel the dreaded anxiety in the pit of your stomach. This film didn’t even need an orca, really; it could have been the pair of Gardner and Jarnson trying to survive in a seemingly inescapable situation and it would have been more gripping. Although, that’s pretty much the premise of 2022’s Fall, which also stars Gardner.
Much like most recent aquatic horrors, such as The Black Demon and Into the Deep, Killer Whale feels like a pointless addition to a genre that’s been floating upside down for a few decades now. It’s 2026 – do we really need more movies where these creatures are used as antagonists? Yeah, Brechin tries to explain Ceto’s actions and paint her as being a victim of humanity’s cruelty, but the film still sees her seeking revenge and going on a killing spree. This isn’t the absurdity of Sharknado or Lake Placid; it’s a film sending mixed signals about creatures that deserve to be protected rather than exploited or treated as entertainment fodder. It’s enough now. Let’s just stop this nonsense once and for all, because who the hell is calling out for more of this stuff?!
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Killer Whale swims into select theaters, on demand, and digital on January 16, 2026.
The Review
Killer Whale
It might not be downright awful, but Killer Whale is still full of carp.
Review Breakdown
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Verdict
