Soul Surfer: Review & giveaway

A great movie to see with your friends

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is a movie based on the inspirational life of Bethany Hamilton. One morning Bethany headed out to the waves to surf with her friends, as she did everyday. But that day changed her life forever. While she was surfing that day Bethany was attacked by a shark, leaving her with only one arm. After losing sixty percent of her blood, it was a miracle that she survived! In fact, if the shark had bitten much further up, the attack would have been fatal. Bethany’s life was to be forever changed and yet the first question she asks is, “When can I surf again?”.

What's the movie about?

This movie is a rollercoaster ride which reveals Bethany’s great courage and strength as she gets back into the water after the attack, tries to learn to surf again and to live a ‘normal’ life with only one arm. At Bethany’s lowest point, she asks a question many of us have asked before, “Why would God allow this to happen to me?”. The movie goes on to explore this question, as Bethany discovers that life isn’t just about surfing, it’s about love. And even though, ‘we don’t always understand why terrible things happen, we have to believe that something good will come out of it’. It is worth seeing this movie or reading Bethany’s book, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board to see to see how this plays out in her life.

A Christian message

The movie stars well-known actors as her parents; Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt. Bethany is played by rising star AnnaSophia Robb who played Violet in Tim Burton’s remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and she also starred in Bridge to Terabithia. Soul Surfer also features songs by popular Christian artists such as Francesca Battistelli, Mat Kearney and Britt Nicole.

The movie has subtle Christian messages and Bethany often took courage from this verse in the Bible, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13.

A great movie to see with your friends

I most definitely recommend this movie, whether or not you like surfing. It holds a great message of hope and perseverance for all of us who will face trials throughout our lives. This is no small budget film. The talent displayed in the acting, filming and production is what you would expect from a Hollywood blockbuster. And I’m relieved to say it’s not a corny Christian movie. The film genuinely portrayed the life of Bethany Hamilton and it was a refreshing film to watch. Soul Surfer is a movie worth getting non-Christian friends to see. It should impress them and provoke interesting conversations afterwards.

Giveaway

If you would like to win a double pass to 'Soul Surfer' and a copy of Bethany’s personal documentary ‘Heart of a Soul Surfer’, simply leave a nice comment below. We will pick a winner at random in the next couple of days!