Soul Surfer
Inspiring true story passed to the Hollywood juggernaut, “Soul Surfer” looks like good news to the TVA power 90. Warning: it is possible to drown in the sea where the good feelings and political correctness are ubiquitous.
Bethany (AnnaSophie Robb) likes to surf and she has the talent to win several competitions. Fate is going after her, taking the form of a shark that wounded her seriously. Instead of abandoning everything, the girl continues to train and believe in its chances of success.
It is difficult not to be touched by this true story. Faced with adversity, the human being is, inspiring his fellow men through his courage, fortitude and tenacity. These good intentions are not still not a movie and “Soul Surfer” learns the hard way.
From the first minutes, the production looks like a vulgar publicity licked. Only beautiful girls in swimsuits and men who developed chest seem to glide on waves. Everything is perfect, just like the blond hair almost Arian. The big prefabricated pop smashes your eardrums, leaving the impression of a big empty, a gaping nothing.
The viewer finally emerges from its torpor when the trigger. A scene from shark quite well done, which promises great things for the future. But that never happen. Even if the story can count on the actors as talented as Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, AnnaSophie Robb and to a lesser extent, Kevin Sorbo, nothing works. They are dictated by the traditional seal “inspired by a true story”, how “Secretariat”, but with an even more appalling.
Everything is staged to make morality of youth. You’ll ride at night without asking permission from your parents? You do not want to join your friends who will help the Mexican people? Then you deserve to lose an arm! But it does not matter. Praying, listening to your loved ones and remembering your true value on Earth (which is to help others), you will revive the grace of God, which in turn will thank you by making you enter the class champions. A model that applied a more subtle, would have been much more bearable. This is unfortunately not the case. There is always a secondary character to bring the “lost sheep in the right way”, and sequences incredible but true, where the heroine (the rudimentary psychology) discovers that she can bring comfort to survivors of the tsunami in Thailand by surfing!
To add to the long list of unsavory efforts (“Casper Meets Windy”, “Treehouse Hostage” and other “Bratz”) by director Sean McNamara who ordinarily come out directly on DVD or Blu-ray, “Soul Surfer” takes the bet to magnify the reality (the protagonist is much prettier than the real Bethany) instead of simply reproducing. This therefore gives a postcard that captures the attention for a minute or two at most.
