Soul Surfer: A New Perspective
The waves crash against the rocks, the rays of sunshine heat the white dusty sand, and the smell of saltwater fills the air. The waters of Hawaii are not only Bethany Hamilton’s home, it is her life. In a split second her world changed. She would have to turn to faith or fear to keep herself afloat. However, Bethany embraced something much bigger than herself which is what made her a stronger person after the shark attack. The film, Soul Surfer quickly pulls you into the setting of the Hawaiian Islands. It also tugs at your heartstrings with the actor’s portrayal of the close family bond the Hamilton’s have for one another. Luckily the strong acting throughout the film helps me to overlook the very amateur and weak special effects of the surfer scenes. Unlike higher budgeted films like Mission Impossible, where things are being blown up and people flying from fishing line wire through the air, this film lacks in the realistic power of surfing. I think the storyline carries the film, and the audience’s knowledge of this actual event coming to life on the big screen makes it something that can be easily overlooked. It still makes for a chilling movie with a lot of heart and passion. Bethany Hamilton’s life as a surfer would never be the same, and this film clearly shows the power of faith and finding a new perspective. The film, Soul Surfer, based on the true-life story, shows how a tragic incident brought one young girl to her knees, yet inspired a whole world.
An ordinary family in Hawaii would have their world turned upside down with the unimaginable and horrific event of a shark attack on a young teenage girl. It would be this event that quickly thrust the Hamilton family into the media spotlight and their lives would never be the same. The film, Soul Surfer, tries to make each image and scene authentic and realistic as possible. A difficult task non-the-less. First, AnnaSophia Robb, the actress who played Bethany Hamilton didn’t know how to surf and took lessons from Bethany herself. Special effects were a little challenging to pull off due to the height difference between the petit actress and the nearly a 6-foot-tall Hamilton. Bethany played AnnaSophia’s stunt double throughout the film because “she said there is ‘no one better able to play a one-armed surfer than me,’ McNamara said,” (Verrier).
AnnaSophia Robb had to appear to be a true amputee for the audience to believe the storyline and feel the struggles she faced after the attack. This was carefully done by a small company out of Los Angeles that used “750 visual effects shots in the film for less than $1 million” (Verrier). The actress had her arm carefully wrapped in green for her arm to be visually removed throughout the editing of the film. This is where the strong acting played a role in the believability of the surfer's struggles and her motivation to find a new perspective. Each scene you could feel the highs and the lows Bethany faced to get back up again. Simple tasks like getting dressed or pulling up her own hair were now something she had to have family help. She clearly had physical challenges and yet her heart ached to surf again. It would be her faith in the long run that was tested to see if she was strong enough to overcome her disability and find her new normal. Bethany being very independent had to learn how to lean on others for support and not just try to overcome this tragic event on her own.
Each visual effect appeared to be strategic and well thought out except for a few that made the film appear amateur and added very little to the already well-done film. For instance, the moment after Bethany is attacked by the shark and arrives in the hospital in the film, you can imagine her going into some type of shock. The scene shows Bethany surfing through a tunnel of water with a bright light on the other side. This illustration leads the audience to believe she is dying. This brief scene comes off very ordinary and unbelievable. It is clear the actress is not truly in the water or on a surfboard. This visual effect plays down everything else the filmmakers try to depict as real. Though a minor and brief scene the image could have easily been removed from the film to be just as powerful without giving into the poor quality.
Again, the filmmakers use this same scene near the end of the film when the actress playing Hamilton is catching the last big wave of the competition. I understand they are trying to tie the two events together to show just how far Bethany has come. Yet, this scene came off very child-like and almost cartoonish. It did not enhance the outcome of the film at all and could have easily been removed. It can be difficult for filmmakers to use real-life actors in action films where the actors have little to no experience. This is where body doubles can be used for distant shots. This was accomplished by the real Bethany Hamilton playing the role of the stunt double. Unfortunately, this film tries to capture the emotions Bethany Hamilton was feeling while riding the waves. These tight shots on the actress are very phony and unrealistic. The film would have been stronger without them. If the budget didn’t allow for higher quality character generated backgrounds to make the water on the actor’s face appear it was truly coming from the waves, it should have been eliminated. The emotions and essence of the film could have been portrayed without the addition of these close-ups.
Bethany Hamilton remembers that day and says, “‘For the most part, I remember the attack. There were some blurry moments. It was pretty quick, and I liked that about the movie,’ Hamilton says. ‘It’s not overdramatized. It’s just real close to how it actually was — just real quick, and I didn’t see anything. I’m just happy to be alive,’” (Cox). The accuracy of the film is what makes this one to remember. True life stories can easily be overdone and made more colorful using special effects and added scenes. The makers of Soul Surfer did not go that route. They stayed true to the storyline with only a couple of exceptions. There is a scene after Bethany gets her arm bit off by a 14-foot tiger shark and is rushed into the hospital to the surgery room where she goes into cardiac arrest. “In real life, Bethany Hamilton didn’t go into cardiac arrest but did lose over 60% of her blood and, thus, went into hypovolemic shock,” (Potier). This made the scene more dramatic and gut-wrenching to the audience. It makes you realize this attack was severe and life-threatening to the young Hamilton girl. The addition to the storyline did not take away from the film, but instead just enhanced the horrific event without going as far as to make the event seem unreal.
As you continue to further watch the movie, Tom Hamilton, Bethany’s Dad, compares the bite out of the broken surfboard to the jaw size of a hanging dead shark. When in reality, “… the fishermen brought their catch to investigators, who determined the measurements of its mouth matched the chunk taken out of Hamilton’s board,” (Potier). By having Tom Hamilton measure the board to the dead shark, the audience can feel the father’s pain for his daughter and his helplessness to fix things for his child. Additionally, in this same scene, the shark was clearly fake and looked as if it was something you would see at a local tourist attraction for photo ops. I believe the visual effects could have done a much better job of creating a more lifelike shark then what they chose to use. It is through these simple mistakes that make the film seem slightly mediocre and lacking in substance. Luckily, there are only a few of these scenes that I have pointed out that are mediocre and doesn’t take away from the overall quality of the filmmaker’s final product.
Overall, Soul Surfer is a well-done film with only a few flaws that make it seem like a much lower budgeted film than the nearly $20 million that it is. Is it worth the time? Absolutely! It will be one that keeps you rooting for a young girl to fight to get back up again and find her new perspective. The film allows you to appreciate the beauty of Hawaii and the strength and power of the ocean waves. It is also encouraging to see a young girl embrace her faith when faced with life-altering challenges. This heartwarming film will have you cheering for the family to stick together through the tough times and not give up. The strong line up of actors keeps the inspirational storyline believable. It is one that leaves you with a smile on your face, and who doesn’t love a happy ending? I know I do.
Citations:
Cox, Joanie. “Making Waves with Soul Surfer Bethany Hamilton.” Sun, 10 May 2011, www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-making-waves-with-soul-surfer-bethany-hamilton-20110405-story.html.
McNamara, Sean, et al. Soul Surfer. TriStar Pictures, 2011.
Potier, Laura, and About The Author Laura is a news and features writer at Screen Rant. “Soul Surfer True Story: How Much Really Happened To Bethany Hamilton.” ScreenRant, 4 June 2020, https://screenrant.com/soul-surfer-true-story-shark-attack-bethany-hamilton/.
Verrier, Richard. “Small L.A. Special Effects Firm Rides a Wave with ‘Soul Surfer’.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2011, www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-apr-05-la-fi-ct-onlocation-20110405-story.html.
