Soul Surfer

Everyone has been through rough times. Whether you lost your job, walked away from a relationship, or had to cope with the death of a loved one, we've all been there. Everyone has had at least one time in their life when they wanted to just give up. That takes me back to October 31, 2003: the day a young surfer named Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a shark. Luckily, she survived, but she didn't come out in one piece. She lost her left arm, and many thought the ability to ever surf again. As we all know, however, Bethany rose up and proved the world wrong, riding to victory in many surfing competitions and becoming one of the most famous surfers in the world. Now that's what I call not letting life get you down!
Soul Surfer begins by showing us the world of 13 year old Bethany Hamilton, who loves nothing more than grabbing her board and hitting the waves. But tragedy strikes when Bethany is attacked by a shark that rips off her left arm. Devestated, she turns to her family and church youth pastor Sarah Hill for guidance as she attempts to get her life back. With determination and her faith in God, Bethany comes to grips with her new reality and heads back into the world of surfing, not sure what to expect.
An uplifting story of courage and faith, Soul Surfer shows audiences a girl whose dreams of life as a proffesional surfer are shattered, until she lets God pick up and mend the pieces. At times hard to watch, the film won't let you look away. Bethany's struggles remind you that no blow is so great that you can't get back up again, and that's a powerful thing. Soul Surfer handles its difficult content with dignity, creating an amazing story that's all the more unbelievable because it's true.
The talented AnnaSophia Robb takes the reins to an incredibly hard role, but she was never better as the couragous Bethany Hamilton. Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt co-star as Bethany's loving parents, and play their parts to a T. Carrie Underwood makes her film debut as Sarah Hill, the youth pastor, and doesn't do much to impress. Still, this is only her first movie, so you have to give her credit for putting herself out there and trying something new.
Soul Surfer (rated PG for some thematic material and an intense action sequence) is a clean, wholesome film with no swearing or inappropriate material of any kind. The scene it got is PG rating for, however, is one that might disturb more sensative people. When the shark attacks, we don't see it bite Bethany's arm. We see blood flow into the water, and some intense moments as her friends try to wrap her arm and drive her to the hospital (including more blood). The scenes are done tastefully, though, and aren't shocking in any way.
A truly inspiring film, Soul Surfer isn't one to be missed. Stellar performances from almost the entire cast and a heart-wrenching story about a girl who follows her dreams despite the odds make this one of the best Christian movies you'll see in a long time.