Soul Surfer
SCORE: 96
Recently I realized that a reviewable copy of Soul Surfer had not made it to the Family Friendly Gaming offices. So I saved up the money, and purchased the DVD. There are two reasons: one I wanted to review the DVD, and two I wanted to see the movie again. We were invited to an early sneak peek of the movie in theaters. You probably read my Editor’s Desk column on it. Soul Surfer is based on the real life true story of Bethany Hamilton. She is a teenage surfer with all kinds of promise and talent. A shark comes out of the water and bites off her arm. Where does she go from there? Does she wallow in self misery? Or does she go back into the water?
The images in Soul Surfer are beautiful. The ocean, the mountains, trees, sand, and more are all amazing. Seeing the tunnel in a fantastic wave is awesome. The girls in Soul Surfer do wear bikinis, and the father (played by Dennis Quaid) does have his shirt off in certain scenes. If those things bother you, I wanted to give you fair warning. The shark scene is over before you know it. Getting her medical help is where the amazing intensity comes into play. The actors and actresses did the most realistic job I have ever seen of that kind of emergency.
There is a scene where the two girls are looking at bikinis after they have been sponsored. One of them picks one out and asks the opinion of the other. She comments on it being an eye patch and would be a problem out there surfing. I found this level of modesty placed inside humor to be refreshing. Too often Hollywood shoves poor morals down the viewers throat. It is so great to see a mention of good morals. The music in Soul Surfer awesome, and there is a little bit about God.
I have to admit Soul Surfer is the least preachy movie I have seen in a long time that might fit under the Christian movie umbrella. To me this is a sports film, and an uplifting encouraging one at that. Soul Surfer puts Rocky down for the count in terms of encouraging sports films. The way Bethany wins over her enemies is astounding. She also is happy throughout the movie. Sure she has moments of doubt, and she faces issues with only one arm. She does not give up. She continues on in the most inspiring way.
There are
numerous special bonus features that families can enjoy. Deleted scenes,
documentary, and featurettes. The Heart of a Soul Surfer is my personal
favorite. It is amazing to see how God has used her in a dark industry.
Reminds me of how God placed me in this dark industry. Shining as an
amazing example to others is quite a calling. I am so pleased to see how
much success Soul Surfer has had. This DVD earns our seal of approval.
-
Paul
Graphics: 85%
Sound: 100%
Replay/Extras: 96%
Gameplay: 100%
Family Friendly Factor: 100%
System: DVD
Publisher: Sony
Rating: ‘PG’ for Parental Guidance
Suggested
{For an intense accident sequence and some thematic material}
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