Humanity’s conquering of the stars may always be in doubt, but the closest thing to outer space likely isn’t too far away from where you are right now, especially if you live on a coast. To this very day, the vast oceans of the globe are still almost entirely uncharted, with the deepest parts of them being entirely inaccessible to most living creatures. Even the parts that pose a great danger to those brave enough to venture into them, and that’s exactly what Last Breath aims to explore.
In 2019, filmmakers Richard da Costa and Alex Parkinson directed a documentary that chronicles the shocking, literally depth-defying story of a diver who becomes trapped several nautical miles beneath the ocean, with not nearly enough oxygen to survive for long. Now, that story is getting the thrilling feature film treatment with some of Hollywood’s most recognizable names, with even Parkinson himself returning to direct. While this adaptation of Parkinson’s own documentary may not have the same heart and emotion behind it, 2025’s Last Breath does manage to bring with it some incredible spectacle and excellent direction to make it a worthwhile claustrophobic ride.
What Is ‘Last Breath’ About?

Last Breath tells the remarkable true story of Chris Lemons (Finn Cole), a professional deep-sea diver who often spends months away from home to perform vital pipeline repairs off the coasts of Scotland. For his latest job on a supposedly routine mission, Lemons is teamed up with his longtime partner and overseer, Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson), and grumpy veteran diver, Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu). With Duncan watching over them, Chris and Dave are tasked with doing some standard repairs on the ocean floor, only for a freak accident to leave Chris stranded several thousand feet under the sea. Facing an unprecedented threat with practically incalculable odds, Duncan, Dave, and the rest of the crew do everything they can to get Chris home, even in the more-than-likely case he doesn’t survive.
It’s impressive to be able to condense a tale that likely felt like it was taking decades in the actual moment, down to just an hour and a half. However, pacing-wise, it feels like it takes a considerable amount of time for Last Breath to dive into the action. The time that could have been spent delving into these characters and why we should care about their inevitable ordeal is instead filled up with a lot of expository dialogue and long stretches of waiting and pondering. It all looks decent enough with some solid cinematography from Nick Remy Matthews and there are some bright spots of character dynamics with a genuinely funny David Attenborough joke, but overall, the prelude to our trio of protagonists’ plunge into the depths feels rather dry.
‘Last Breath’ Excels in Its Oceanic Sequences

Image via Focus Features

While Last Breath, to a somewhat understandable extent, does take a while to get going, the inciting moment of the film’s central deep-sea conflict is where the thriller really shines. In the same way that great isolated outer space thrillers like Gravity immerse the audience in complete and total isolation among the stars, Last Breath makes excellent use of the treacherous ocean to make a middle act that is as stressful as it is unpredictable — even if you’re already familiar with the true story. A large part of this is due to some really impressive effects and visuals, but also some impeccable and admirable directorial decisions from Alex Parkinson.
A flawless example of Parkinson’s impressively simple direction is a key moment in the film when the film’s audio is cut entirely, plunging the viewing audience into complete and total silence for a good couple of seconds. It’s not dissimilar to the light-speed scene from Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, but it’s also the sheer unexpected nature of this moment that makes an already standout sequence of the film stand out even more so.
The interesting sound design decisions are also a great example of how Last Breath does a lot with very little. On paper, this is a very simple and potentially visually unappealing set-up, as it is pretty much just two characters in a murky ocean with very little set-dressing. In execution, the remarkably clear camerawork, realistic diving sequences, and painstaking recreation of the very story that Parkinson has already made a documentary about make Last Breath one of the most visually striking thrillers of 2025 so far.
‘Last Breath’s Characters Make the Film Feel a Bit Shallow

Image via Focus Features

As with any adaptation of a true story, there are only so many creative changes you can make to a real-life tale before it starts to become too detached from reality. Last Breath succeeds in bringing the horrifying and dangerous reality of deep-sea diving to life. However, the film could have added much more dynamic characterization to its ensemble cast, all of whom are rather one note.
The issue certainly isn’t the performances of its stars, as Cole, Liu, and Harrelson all do just fine with the material they are given. But they all fit some pretty standard boxes of a kind soul with a fiancé at home, a grumpy expert with a soft spot, and a veteran who is about to retire. That doesn’t even account for other ensemble cast members like Mark Bonnar and Cliff Curtis, but they’re given even less to do in the film’s limited runtime, which grinds to a halt with a fairly rushed ending that doesn’t fully examine the scope of the film’s events.
A slow beginning and a rushed ending prevent Last Breath from being a flawless excursion into a story that is often stranger than fiction. However, the middle segment where Alex Parkinson fully explores the meat of that story is where the film really becomes something worth watching. While the documentary of the same name might be able to capture the more human elements better than any adaptation could, the technical marvel of this feature film’s underwater sequences is well worth diving into.
Last Breath comes to theaters on February 28.

Last Breath

The claustrophobic suspense of ‘Last Breath’ makes for a deep ride, even if its characters are more shallow.

Release Date

February 27, 2025

Runtime

93 minutes

Director

Alex Parkinson

Writers

Alex Parkinson, David Brooks, Mitchell LaFortune

Cast

Woody Harrelson

Duncan Allcock

Pros & Cons

Technically and visually impressive from start to finish.
A thrilling and suspenseful second act.
Great directorial decisions from Alex Parkinson.

The three main characters aren’t the most engaging…
…and the rest of the ensemble is given even less to do.
The first act feels overly long and the third act feels a bit too rushed.