Soul Surfer

Things were looking up for Bethany Hamilton, she had a loving family, a God that loved her, a best friend, and a promising future doing the thing she loves best-surfing. Not to mention two loving brothers that perfectly fit the role of comedic relief. But this all changes when she starts putting waves before God. God tests her faith in a way that will change her world. She looses her arm in a shark attack, something that could end her career as a surfer and her dreams. But she finds that God's plans for her are not her own, and that everything will be ok on the waves using unwavering faith.

This is her true story.

When we started pushing this at the book store I'm working at, I was a little optimistic. It seems that now a days Christian movies are the same old script, same old tale, and same old bad photography. But to push a movie, you got to know it. So one night I shelled out twenty bucks, bought the blu-ray, set up a flat screen in my dark room and popped it in. And what I saw was impressive and touching yet at the same time a little unsettling.

This is my true story analyzing her story.

If you read the cover, you'd know that Bethany Hamilton is alive and well today, this is a true story. How much the movie kept to her real story I don't know. But I must say that this movie was as touching and well written as God's real tale of Bethany. Though not quite as perfect as God's.

There was a lot of blue in the movie, since the ocean was where most of it took place. The photography made sure you got the full impact of the waves and the breathtaking scenery of beautiful Hawaii, making you feel like you are soaked to the skin during a vacation that you and your wallet will never have. The movie is a great experience not unlike soaking your eyes in a bowl of Hawaiian Punch.

The characters and actors in the film played their part perfectly, causing this "Drama in Seaworld" to truly come together. The movie is not all about the color blue though, there was stress (the director did a good job of keeping you on the edge of your seat for the shark attack.....that won't happen for another twenty minutes) not only stress but love, drama, and true feelings were coming out of my small flatscreen. These emotions made the movie good.

But let's sit down here, I need to tell you something rather sad, but more so, shocking. You see, when you make a movie, especially to a secular world, you need something to push it. A formula, if you will. When it comes to kid's movies, you need humor. Animal movies, apparently you need crude jokes. But the formula that Sony picked for this film was, skin. Since for surfing you need swimsuits Sony decided to cash in on that secular goldmine, enough to keep it Christian-themed, but just enough to get some dimwitted males to go. Though innocent and unnoticeable at first, you start to pick up on the certain camera angles and clothing, along with one certain competitor who's wardrobe resembled a shark attack in itself.

But that flaw aside, the movie was a very well put together piece dripping with good writing. Though touching at times I feel that the movie had sadly more skin than God. To put it frankly, To much Surf but not enough Soul.

Buy worthy, but not quite up there with Fireproof.