I wanted to see Soul Surfer for many reasons, primarily because I recently learned about Bethany Hamilton and wanted to see her courageous story. I also heard it advertised on our local radio station and thought it sounded like a good movie.
The movie clearly portrays the Hamilton family as a close group who walked through an extremely difficult tragedy with grace and courage.
The scene when Bethany is attacked by the whale is brief but the aftermath is bloody and somewhat difficult to watch so I would encourage parents to be mindful of this. I took my almost-10-year old daughter to see it with me, but I discussed ahead of time what the movie was about. I didn't know what to expect with the actual shark but I did remind her that shark attacks are very rare, that this young woman spent much of her time in the ocean, etc. I think my daughter was still a little haunted by the images, so please be mindful that younger kids could be traumatized.
Still, the movie is worth seeing, especially by teens and adults. This courageous young woman took a personal tragedy and made it something meaningful and positive. Bless her! The acting is solid, the action is quick, the script is realistic and keeps moving well. I liked everything about it and hope the movie does really well. We need more inspiring, uplifting messages today.
Enjoy!
