Review: Soul Surfer -- the Bethany Hamilton Story | Sneak Peek

The new Bethany Hamilton movie - Soul Surfer - starring AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quad and Carrie Underwood has easily become one of the best movies I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. From my previous article on Bethany Hamilton came a surprise invitation to a private sneak-peek showing of Soul Surfer. So, with my wife and brother-in-law in tow, we drove to nearby Orlando, Florida. After joking with the theatre staff and grabbing some popcorn, I ended up being the first to enter the auditorium along with an estimated 120 to 140 others. As the 7pm hour arrived, instead of movie previews, we were treated to a friendly welcome by Patrick Bonner who introduced the film and encouraged us, afterward, to fill out the comment cards that had been issued to each person.

Then the lights dimmed, and a voice over by Bethany (actually AnnaSophia Robb's voice) began. Waves sparkled onscreen and sunlight glistened off the lush Hawaiian location... and just like that, I'm there. Tasting the salty Pacific, hearing the roar of surf, feeling the tropical breezes on my skin. There was a "realness" to the footage with no cheesy "green screen" fakeness that distracts with some movies. (especially surfing movies). Yeah, I felt like I was there.

And the film drew me in deeper.

Bethany's story is fairly well known to most folks I've spoken with. While surfing on October 31, 2003, at the age of 13 with her brother, best friend Alana Blanchard and Alana's dad, a tiger shark rose from below and bit Bethany's left arm off nearly at the shoulder. The enormous size of the shark's mouth is evident from the curving half moon bite taken from Bethany's surviving surf board. (See picture #5 above)

Watching the attack scene unfold in the movie is harrowing, the colors of red and green visceral and stunning. I felt the adrenaline-driven force of Bethany's friends and brother, as they raced to save her life after the attack. I alternately cried and clenched my teeth as these friends struggled to stop Bethany's massive bleeding. As they rushed her for medical treatment, using her surfboard as a stretcher, I wanted to shout at the screen: "Swim harder! Drive faster! Go, go, GO!" Having lost sixty percent of her body's blood volume, I still marvel that this young girl even survived such a horrific experience.

Healing and Hope

You don't go through something as traumatic as losing an arm without struggles and questions of, "Why?" Those hard questions are subtly explored in this film. Not just for Bethany, but also for her family and friends. Carrie Underwood, in her film debut as Bethany's counselor/mentor, has a line that she speaks to Bethany: "I don't know why this happened, but I believe that good will come from it." (On a personal note, Carrie Underwood's line resonated with me - especially in light of a tragic situation in my hometown involving the deaths of three teenage girls when they were caught on a bridge and killed by a train . I don't know why it happened. And I want to believe that some good will come soon...)

As Bethany struggles to come to grips with both the emotional and physical challenges of having only a single arm, she is shown as having something more precious than jewels, something that even I longed for as the characters interacted on the screen. That something? A loving and supporting family. When I was Bethany's age, my family self destructed in divorce and alcoholism. Friends? Nope. There were none to be found for me. Not the case for Bethany. Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid play Bethany's mom and dad, Cheri and Tom Hamilton. The two actors demonstrate an onscreen cohesiveness that I marveled at time and time again. Why, they even look the part of a relaxed and tanned couple living the Hawaiian lifestyle. When Bethany's dad, Tom Hamilton sits quietly next to his wounded, but healing daughter, I felt a quiet strength come from him. Oh, to have a dad like that! And when this same dad begins to encourage Bethany and train with her ... laugh and love her -- I wanted to cheer. Dads out there, take some cues from Quaid's onscreen performance. Your little girl needs you to play an active role in her life, no matter what her age. Watch and learn. Yeah, really.

Strength

Not long after her arm was taken, a recovering Bethany approaches her father as he works on a surfboard. Her desire to surf again is building, and she knows she can't do it alone.

"Hey, Dad," Bethany calls out. "I need your help."

Tom Hamilton eyes her over the surfboard, seeming to test the sincerity of her request. The grin gives away his fatherly mind-reading skills. He knows she's talking about surfing again. "It's not going to be easy," he tells her.

"I don't need easy," Bethany responds. "I just need possible."

At that moment in the movie, I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket and wrote that line down: I don't need easy, I just need possible. Wow! What faith. What strength.

Later, after the movie had finished, Patrick Bonner asked me my favorite line from the film. Before I could even respond he quoted that same line. How cool!

Reasons to see Soul Surfer

If you haven't figured it out yet - let me take all the guesswork out of it for you: I really enjoyed this movie! Here are a few reasons that I'd recommend you go see "Soul Surfer":

See it for the surfing and scenery.

Filmed on location in Kauai and Oahu, Hawaii, the surfing footage is breathtaking to behold. Remarkably, much of the power and beauty of the Pacific is captured by filming under the water. If you've never seen a wave from below and behind, with a sun-silhouetted surfer slicing through liquid, then you're in for a treat. The slow motion competition scenes - wow! Surf Magazine's Joel Patterson, remarks, "The surfing is possibly the best yet in a Hollywood surf film, with the real-life Bethany and Alana Blanchard doing all the surfing for their characters, and, frankly, ripping." Good stuff.

See it for the family and faith.

Nowhere in the film did I get that sense that the Hamilton's Christian lifestyle was being "pushed" on the audience. If you've ever seen a "Christian" film that did that to you, then you know what I'm talking about. As a Christian myself, I actually appreciated the portrayal of the family's faith and the way they were shown handling their struggles. Watching how the Hamilton family faced their grief and pain, how they supported one another, cried with one another and celebrated life together with their friends... it was a joy to behold. (I even felt a bit envious in parts.) Their faith is part of what makes them who they are, and I'm glad it was included in the film. (Special note: Don't rush out once the movie ends. There is some great family footage of Bethany and her family shown shortly after the credits start rolling.)

See it for the love.

Midway through the film, Carrie Underwood's character remarks to Bethany: "Don't be sorry for compassion. It can move us to do amazing things." I'm learning that in my own life as well. How many of us face situations where we feel like throwing in the towel and giving up? How many of us, because of hurt or pain, want to hold back on showing love, or on venturing forth into a scary, once painful area? How many of us would return to the very environment where your life was nearly lost? Surfing after a shark takes your arm? Are you serious? Bethany did. Her love for surfing diminished for a season, but then it returned, and so did a more mature, trained and shredding Bethany.

Soul Surfer Opening Soon

Soul Surfer opens in 2000 theatres nationwide on April 8th, 2011. Go marvel. Go cheer. See how one young lady is overcoming unbelievable difficulties and obstacles... and living life.

I loved this movie. Can't wait to see it again.

"I don't need easy, I just need possible."

Yeah. You go, Bethany.

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Other Resources

Soul Surfer (2011) Yahoo! Movies

Surfer Magazine Review: Soul Surfer by Joel Patterson

Shark Attacked Teenager's Story Coming to the Big Screen

Soul Surfer The Movie - Official Website

Remembering Three Teenagers Killed by a Train