A justifiable take on the story of a girl who had to change her perspective on life despite the chaos and turbulence caused by a life changing event that shook her family and friends most of all.
Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) is an aspiring surfer who is working her way up to start a professional career doing what she loves most. She lives in Hawaii with her family consisting of her mother (Helen Hunt), father (Dennis Quaid), and two brothers. As a child surf culture has always surrounded her as a way of life for her family. She sees surfing as something that she truly enjoys and can share with her family, while also having that competitive edge to be the best at it. Her best friend Alana (Lorraine Nicholson) is also very much into surfing and shares the same dreams of becoming a pro just like Bethany. They have been friends ever since they were little and their bond is something that most friendships lack in the long run. One day, the best friends go out surfing with a few others and by chance, Bethany gets attacked by a shark. The shark has bitten off her arm and the incident just so happens to coincide with her father's surgery. Those who are there with her immediately call her mom and take Bethany to the hospital. Everyone is perplexed and definitely shell-shocked by what happened and how someone like Bethany could be caught up in a near tragedy. Luckily, she survived despite losing a fair amount of blood in the process and the family are thankful to God that she is still with them. At first, it's really difficult for Bethany to adapt to her disability and see the brighter side of things but with a little encouragement from her family and her vehement determination, she decides to go back in the water and compete at Regionals. She is pummeled by the surf and loses all hope of returning to her usual form, even going as far as giving away her surfboards to fans. After giving up, she decides to give her time and help to the people affected by the tsunami in Phuket, Thailand by going on a mission with her church group. While there, she truly realizes that surfing is not the most important thing and figures that what happened to her, as opposed to seeing the tsunami aftermath is nothing compared to what these people had endured. After returning home from the trip, she is baffled by how much fan mail she receives and at the amount of people who have been in situations that are similar to hers, yet they are inspired at the path she is taking despite her circumstances. It opens up her eyes that she isn't doing this for just herself anymore, but for all those people who look up to her and the example she has set for everyone.
I think this is a great family movie for everyone but may seem frightening for younger viewers, so decide wisely if your children are ready to see a shark attack and a girl without one of her arms for most of the movie. I think that the movie did a great job portraying a real life event and stepping up to recreate the events of something that happened not too long ago with the people who were involved, being there to guide the movie making process. It was amazing to see how they made AnnaSophia's arm invisible by the use of make up and of course CGI, with the ending result being so successful. I wasn't even trying to look for any glimpses of the hidden arm after first seeing how it looks on screen. Oh, how far has technology come in film making!
AnnaSophia was perfect for the role of Bethany in many ways. I really felt her emotions coming through in every scene and I think she made a convincing surfer as well. She did meet with the real life Bethany, who provided some stunts for the movie, and really had a chance to step into her shoes and the ending result is rather impressive. Helen Hunt, who actually has quite a bit of experience in surfing also gave an impressive performance even though it seems she should have been given a little bit more screen time. Carrie Underwood makes her big screen debut in Soul Surfer and her performance doesn't receive any complaints from me even though her role was rather small but still vital to the development of Bethany's character. The ocean visuals were stunning and actually quite beautiful, making my love for the ocean rise a bar higher despite the shark hazard. The colors were beautiful and I think the poster is a little off-putting when it comes to the glorious color variations of Hawaiian nature. But I suppose it weighs on the dramatic aspects of the film.
There were of course some flaws and bumps along the way and every movie has them. First of all, I thought the night surfing scene was a little bit off-putting and redundant because it didn't quite fit in with the narrative I suppose. It just felt a little bit like they were going for a more commercial representation of teens going out to have fun without the consent of the parents and it didn't enhance the quality of the story. I also think the dialogue could have been a bit better during the first half of the movie. It felt a little sloppy and careless but after the shark attack it picked up on it and really had something important to say. Those were probably the main flaws, but other than that it sent out a truly inspirational message that is uplifting for those who do have a disability as well as those who feel thankful they still have two arms.
There are many religious references throughout because Bethany's family are devout Christians but some people might find it a little bit preacher-like although it is totally understandable because they had faith during that harrowing ordeal and it's just the way their family is. If their faith is what happened to get them through it all, then it's up to them to believe in what they want to believe in. You shouldn't judge them for it, and in fact there are a lot of inspirational quotes in the film that I think will speak to many even if you're not a Christian or go to church. Being the nature of the film that they all go through Bethany's struggle united and with courage, the notion of family is defined very clearly, and having those few good friends that are really close and have been loyal to you for a very long time, can help anyone get through difficulties in their own lives.
Overall, it's a breath of fresh air and gives you an excuse to see a sneak peek of life in Hawaii and the closely woven friendships everyone share. Family, love and faith are some of the vital keys that will open the door to happiness and hopefully everyone will find that it's true when viewing this film. It is definitely much more than a surfing movie.
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