Review of Soul Surfer (2011) by Sums I — 02 Oct 2011

An inspirational family-friendly film, with great camerawork, some decent acting talent and a Christian worldview that is realistic and important to the story. Bethany Hamilton's true story turned into a movie carries emotional impact while exploring relevant topics like God's purpose for our lives, and why bad things happen to good people.

This film is a notch above some of the recent Christian films with some top talent (Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt) anchoring the emotional roles. There are a few other roles which feel more like "acting" and some weak dialogue... but certainly instead of appealing JUST to Christians this film has more going for it throughout. I think it will be especially enjoyed by teenagers.

I felt Carrie Underwood did a decent job, but her scenes as the youth Pastor felt the most like "acting" in the whole film. The added drama of an over-the-top antagonistic surf rival didn't add to what is already an incredible story. And I haven't been to many surfing contests, but the announcers felt a little canned too.

But those are the nitpicky things... overall I think Soul Surfer has much going for it. Great cinematography (obviously high quality and not an easy task in the water), believable (and not too gory) special-effects, and a fairly accurate movie version of the real events. I thought the cameo of the real-life Bethany Hamilton was also a nice touch, as was the footage during the credits.

This movie will open doors for discussions about God, his plans for our lives, why bad things happen, and more. They are not always easy subjects, and it's important to know even the characters in the film struggle with these issues.

For Bethany Hamilton, there is a clear example of how God used a tragedy for a much greater good. For most of us, the good in our difficulties is not so readily apparent... in fact, we might never know why some things happen. God doesn't need to inflict us with tragedy. Because we live in a sinful, fallen world... He merely has to allow "life" to happen. But God CAN and DOES use bad things for greater good if we trust and let Him do it.

Thank you Bethany for your bravery, your faith, and your example!