Hideo Kojima has reviewed the new survival film Whalefall — and while he loved it, the movie has permanently changed his relationship with seafood.
Hideo Kojima (Credits: IGN)
The Metal Gear Solid creator and self-described serious movie buff shared his thoughts over the weekend. Whalefall, which sees Austin Abrams fighting his way out of the belly of a sperm whale, earned high praise from Kojima — with one deliciously specific side effect: “I don’t think I’ll be eating squid for a while,” he wrote on X.
Kojima, who received a copy of Daniel Kraus’s novel — the film’s source material — some time ago, described the movie as a literary, somewhat metafictional exploration of the Steinbeck-like relationship between whales and humans as part of an ecosystem, alongside the familial bond between father and son. The visual effects, he added, were outstanding.
A Lifelong Love of Whales
Kojima’s fascination with whales runs deep — and predates the film by decades. As a schoolchild, he researched whale ecology for a class project, and he’s been captivated ever since by their enormous size as mammals and their symbolic presence in the marine ecosystem.
That obsession has shown up repeatedly in his games. In MGS2, Raiden is swallowed, digested, and excreted by the enormous Arsenal Gear — essentially a whale that swallows digital information. Whales also feature prominently in MGSV and Death Stranding, complete with references to Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick.
The Ultimate Stamp of Approval
For a filmmaker as cine-literate as Kojima, a detailed public review is no small endorsement. The combination of literary ambition, a father-son story, ecosystem themes, and stunning effects clearly hit his personal sweet spot.
The only casualty? Squid snacks. Given the film’s premise — a man trapped inside a creature that eats squid by the ton — Kojima’s newfound aversion is entirely understandable. Consider this your warning before you book a ticket with calamari in hand.
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Source: IGN — read the full story there.
