Guest blogger: Megan B1

The movie Soul Surfer is an incredible story about the life of surfer, Bethany Hamilton. When Bethany was 13 she lost her arm to a shark attack. This movie replays the horrific events and shows her triumphant comeback. Bethany has the perfect life in Hawaii, lives with her dad, mom and two brothers. They have all grown up with a passion for surfing and competing. Her best friend Alana Blanchard also joins them in surfing every day and does a lot of competitions with Bethany. They practically live in the water. One day, Bethany was out surfing with Alana and Alana’s dad and brother. After surfing for a while, Bethany dangled her left arm in the water and a tiger shark appears and takes a bite right up to her shoulder. When they finally get her to the hospital, the doctors said she had lost her left arm and about 60% of her blood. If she lived, it would be miracle. The movie then goes on to tell her story as she tries to recover from the attack and get back in the water and do what she loves. AnnaSophia Robb plays Bethany Hamilton in the film. I think she did a great job portraying Bethany and her life story. AnnaSophia got to work personally with Bethany Hamilton to learn how to surf and to get to more about her life, which I think helped her tremendously in staring as Bethany. Bethany shows the audience her courage and strength throughout this movie. Her drive to want to get back to what she loves and what she is so good at is inspiring to the viewers. The theme of this movie is to never give up. Bethany Hamilton lost her arm to a shark, which is a prime need for a surfer. She did not quit; she was not going to let that stop her. She had to work twice as hard to get back up on the board but she learned how to surf again and adapted to her situation. According to the Orlando Sentinel Roger Moore, on April 6, 2011, they said, “The best faith-based film ever made, an uplifting, entertaining and wonderfully-acted account of surfer Bethany Hamilton’s life before and after a shark bit her arm off in the waters of her favorite Hawaiian beach.” Some reviews say that is wasn’t as well portrayed as they would have like to seen, but it is impossible to nail a movie based on a true story. I think this movie is well worth your time and money. It is an inspiring story and an incredible film based on the true events of Bethany Hamilton.