Soul Surfer

Last night, Wednesday April 6, 2011  I had the opportunity to preview the movie Soul Surfer. The feature films release date is set for April 8, 2011. A friend of mine got free ticket vouchers through someone she works with. Honestly, I had no plans to see this movie, but who will turn down free tickets in today's economy?  The movie was at the Regal Winter Park Village. This was the second time I have visited this theater. It is in a beautiful outdoor mall. The mall is filled with outdoor restaurants such as The Cheesecake Factory and Mitchell's Fish Market and shops.

I didn't know much about how the preview worked until I showed up. Apparently, it was a first come first serve situation on the seating. My friend and I were told to arrive at 6:30, but we didn't make it until 6:50. We lucked out and got great seats. Basically we walked right into the theater. We flashed are tickets to the ladies sitting at a table in front of the viewing theater's main door and they let us walk right in. The people who put on the viewing event seemed to be very organized. Before the movie began a lady came in front of the theater and thanked us for attending and told us to turn off our phones. She said if we were caught on our phone at all, for any reason, we would be escorted out. I loved this! How many times have you gone to the movies and the person in front of you, or behind, was texting and the light from the phone distracted you? This should be a universal rule! There is a time and place to use your phone.

I don't want to ruin the movie for those who want to see it, but the movie Soul Surfer was based on a true story about a young surfer, Bethany Hamilton. A shark bit off Bethany’s left arm. Due to the attack, she lost over sixty percent of her blood. It was a miracle she survived. Even though she has gone through such a traumatic experience and lost her left arm she continues to surf and win contests. I was flipping through the channels the other night and saw a True Life on her on MTV if you would like to look for the rerun.  

The shark bite scene was about as real as the mechanical shark in Jaws. I know this was a movie for kids, but with all the advances in technology I don't understand why they decided to slack on this scene, it cheapened the entire movie. Also, Carrie Underwood is a very beautiful and talented singer, but she is a joke of an actress. I imagine the film wanted to add credibility by using a known celebrity, but not all singers can act. She looked like she was trying to hard and not one thing she said was believable. She played Bethany's youth group leader when she should have just played the shark. Other than that, all the other actors were fine.

I would absolutely not recommend this movie if you are over the age of twelve. The poor little girl sitting next to me cried through the entire movie, I assume it was a touching film for her. She looked about ten, which is what demographic this movie appealed too. I would take my twelve-year-old sister to this movie because she would love it. Each scene got cornier by the minute. Soul Surfer is a perfect movie to take your younger siblings to, or a date that you never want to see again.

Resources:

http://www.exposemovies.com/drama/soul-surfer/attachment/soul-surfer

http://www.soulsurferthemovie.com/