Based on a remarkable, true story, “Soul Surfer” stars Anna Sophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton who, back in 2003 at the age of 13, lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing near her home in Hawaii. Since millions of people already know this story due to the news coverage and interviews and appearances that Bethany has done in the 8 years since the attack, director Sean McNamara tries to make a film that allows us to get to know this girl and appreciate her courage and determination. And he mostly succeeds.
One of the best decisions McNamara makes is not to begin the movie with the shark attack scene. Instead, we get to know Bethany and her life as a young pro surfer, and her parents (played by Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt). They are a true surfing family (she has two older brothers as well).
Obviously you know the attack is coming, but you don’t know when, which adds an element of suspense. And the shark scene, when it happens, is very authentic, but not very graphic, which allows the film to keep a PG rating.
The rest of “Soul Surfer” deals with Bethany’s amazing recovery and her battle to return to surfing and become a champion. It’s an inspirational story and the performances, especially by Robb, keep you emotionally attached throughout the film. Quaid and Hunt look the part of Hawaiian surfer parents and even Carrie Underwood, in her big screen debut, does a nice job as a Christian youth group leader.
In fact, there is a strong religious presence in “Soul Surfer”, with several discussion involving God and a scene in the hospital with Quaid reading The Bible – something you certainly would never see in a mainstream Hollywood film. But it’s all handled well and if this is how the Hamilton family was and is in real life then I’m glad the writers had the guts to include this element in the film.
“Soul Surfer” looks believable. The surfing scenes are very realistic and the digital effects used in post-production to make Sophia Robb look like she is missing her left are amazing. You will find yourself asking during the movie (as I heard a guy in the lobby saying to his wife when I saw it in the theater): “How did they do that?”
Yes, like most sports movies based on true stories, there are some scenes that are predictable and corny, but not that many (as we learn from some home movie footage in the final credits). And if you can’t be inspired by the story of a teenage girl who loses an arm in a shark attack and is back surfing and winning competitions in only a few weeks, then you can’t be inspired by anything.
The target audience for this film is pre-teen and teen girls and they will absolutely enjoy it. But this is a film for the entire family (again, don’t be scared-off by the shark attack scene, which is brief and not graphic).
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Soul Surfer” gets a B.
It’s clearly one of the best family films of the year so far.