Review: Soul Surfer waters down shark attack
by Christy Lemire
Watching "Soul Surfer," the story of Bethany Hamilton's comeback after a shark attack, makes you long for a vivid documentary on the subject instead preferably one of those excellent "30 for 30" offerings from ESPN.
Hamilton's tale is, of course, inspiring. In 2003, when she was just 13 years old, she lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing near her Hawaiian home. An up-and-comer in the sport, she wanted to get back on her board as soon as possible. A month later, she was in the water again. Now, at 21, she continues to compete professionally.
Soul Surfer takes that story of complex emotions, determination and faith and turns it into overly simplistic mush. Director and co-writer Sean McNamara's film is an uncomfortable combination of pat, feel-good platitudes, two-dimensional characters, cheesy special effects and generically idyllic scenery.
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