Soul Surfer - Parents Movie Review

movie review rating guide for parents and families

MPAA Rating
PG

for an intense accident sequence and some thematic material

Genre
Drama

Director
Sean McNamara

Starring
Dennis Quaid, AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood, Lorraine Nicholson

Studio
Sony

Release Date/In Theaters
4/8/2011

Movie Summary

The inspirational story of Bethany Hamilton, a surfer who was brutally attacked by a shark and her return to surfing.

Movie Review for Parents

-by Ginger

Soul Surfer is about facing fears in light of a tragedy. A young teenage surfer summons the courage to go back in the water after losing her arm in a shark attack. This sounds like a simple plot, but it is a complex journey into the soul. It is about a journey of courage. Mailina Birch is a top surfer with many fans. She is a competitive surfer with a bright future…until she is attacked by a shark.

Mailina faces many struggles, including how to do daily tasks. Malina soon finds that she has fans and that she is an inspiration to people who she never knew. The fan mail keeps pouring in and when Malina finds out how many fans she has, she finds the courage to enter the water once again and return to competitive surfing. This is a heartwarming movie about beating the odds and finding the courage to triumph in the face of tragedy. This story teaches sound principles about the true heart of an athlete. It is a story about hope, determination, and courage.

The shark attack, scene and the hospital scene are traumatic and might be too much for younger children. However, the story is inspirational for those that are old enough to be able to watch the shark attack scene. The best part about this movie is that it was inspired by the real story of Bethany Hamilton, a real surfer who was attacked by a shark and who made a comeback that was similar to the main character in this story. Other than the shark attack scene, this story is good for all ages. It teaches excellent values about never giving up and about beating the odds. This family movie review rates this movie as a good movie for preteens and teenagers. There is very little that can be found to be objectionable in this movie.