Many of the critics think the movie is bland. They think it lacks excitement. One of them said that the shark biting scene wasn't "scary" like that of Jaws. But this movie is not really about the shark, is it?
Another interesting critic comment is that Bethany is almost eerie in her optimism. Here's the quote:
The flaw in the storytelling strategy of "Soul Surfer" is that it doesn't make Bethany easy to identify with. She's almost eerie in her optimism. Her religious faith is so unshaken, it feels taken for granted. The film feels more like an inspirational parable than a harrowing story of personal tragedy. - Roger Ebert review
Reading R. Ebert's comment reminded me of the Phil 4:7 verse in the Bible when it says ".. and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus". I think, that almost eerie optimism is that "peace that passeth all understanding". It's hard to understand, but that is what is it, that is what happened, and that is what they portrayed. Oh I am sure there were many times of struggles and crying and agony, but the real heart of it ll is trusting their God in this difficult circumstances.
I love how the movie is bold about sharing Bethany's faith in God and yet it is done in a subtle way, not a "believe or go to burn in hell" kind of way. I love how their family was portrayed, how they are all so supportive to each other. I love that the movie does not have provocative sex scenes and does not have too much gory violent scene; I love that the language use are decent and does not contain a lotsof F word that is so common in most movies nowadays. I love that "loving others" was emphasized; I love that the "not giving up in times of hardship" is taught. This is the kind of movie I want my kids to watch and it's hard to find movies like this nowadays. Even the Disney animated movies these days are so full of sarcastic jokes that kids learn to be too sarcastic instead of using courteous and kind words. Ahhh, maybe I am just an old fashion mama, but this is how I feel, and since I have a blog I thought I might as well give my 2 cents worth of review of this film. If you have not seen the movie yet, go see it. It really is a simple movie that is worth watching. Don't expect spectacular, expect a good. And since most review pages give star and points, I might as well give it a 5 starts out of 5. :)
