I feel bad for Sean McNamara's Soul Surfer. On the one hand, it's the beautiful, inspirational story of Bethany Hamilton, a real-life girl who at the age of thirteen lost her left arm in a shark attack yet persevered and went on to become a champion professional surfer. It also is one of the few professional Hollywood films with an overt, positive Christian message. It has some great acting, particularly on the part of Helen Hunt, AnnaSophia Robb, and the always fantastic Dennis Quaid. But for everything that Soul Surfer has going for it, I can't get over the fact that it has the single worst shark effect since Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus (2009). When Bethany eventually gets attacked, the scene isn't tragic, but inappropriately hysterical. And this speaks to the film's overall problem: despite having its heart in the right place and a phenomenal story, Soul Surfer is simply a poorly made film. I guess I should have expected as much from McNamara, director of other such classics as 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998) and Bratz: The Movie (2007). The screenplay is a mess, the cinematography and editing seem like they were taken out of an early 2000s music video, and it introduces a villain character in the form of a rival surfer. That last part really bugs me. Does a film about a girl who becomes a champion surfer after losing an arm really need a villain? Wouldn't the film's true antagonist be her doubts, fears, and struggle to overcome her new-found disability? I dunno. Soul Surfer seems to sway between trying too hard, not trying enough, and not even trying in the first place. And yes, that last part was in reference to the utterly abysmal shark effect.
5/10
I think in light of the fact that this is a true story, and inspiring, many people have chosen to ignore the problems with the movie’s production value. Having stars in the movie, such as Hunt and Quaid, make it easier for me to do that. Putting that aside though, my family enjoyed the movie for what it is, a tale of courage that is meant to inspire the audience. I found the movie on my employer’s website, dishonline. We like to go there because I can browse by MP rating, and all the movies from my receiver, online and on TV are listed there. I used the example of Bethany when I was teaching my oldest daughter how to ride her bike, and it worked!
ReplyDeleteI have nothing against the real life story of Bethany. It truly is a great and inspiring story. I just think that this film could have been much, much better.
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