Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy Emily Rudd as Nami and Jacob Romero as Usopp standing on the deck of the Merry in One Piece season 2
Netflix One Piece season 2 review: "It's hard to imagine a better version of One Piece in live action"
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Superhero Shows Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
Ghostface in Scream 7
Horror Movies Scream 7 review: "Never as sharp as the series' best, but still has a few neat tricks up its billowing sleeve"
Return to Silent Hill protagonist James Sunderland
Horror Movies Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
Phoebe Dynevor in Thrash
Horror Movies Stay clear of the water this summer as yet another shark horror movie is on the way, and its first trailer is terrifying
A still from Kiki's Delivery Service featuring Kiki and her feline familiar Jiji flying on a broom with some seagulls, with a Big Screen Spotlight logo ini the corner
Anime Movies Kiki's Delivery Service's return to theaters proves we need hand-drawn animation now more than ever
Michael Johnston as Bear and Inde Navarrette as Nikki in Obsession
Horror Movies You'll wish you'd been ghosted after watching the new trailer for upcoming horror movie Obsession
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
Jacob Elordi as the Creature in Frankenstein
Horror Movies The 25 best Netflix horror movies to watch right now
Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes during the new show, Young Sherlock.
Streaming Services 6 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime, Disney Plus, and more (March 6-8)
Alan Ritchson in War Machine
Sci-Fi Movies War Machine star Alan Ritchson says the film's most dangerous stunt was "pretty terrifying," as he ziplined over rapids
Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman
Movies The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Horror Movies

Soul Surfer review

A real-life shark tale…

Reviews
By James Mottram published 19 September 2011

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Her arm bitten off by a shark, Hawaiian surfer chick Bethany Hamilton learns to ride those waves again…

An amazing true story for sure, but this earnest dramatisation is so wholesome, it feels like being stuck in a never-ending Activia advert.

Everyone is blonde, beautiful and buff – even the church-group leader that escorts Bethany (Bridge To Terabithia’s AnnaSophia Robb) to Thailand to help the post-tsunami locals learn to surf.

While Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt don’t add much as her parents, at least director Sean McNamara gets some stunning surf footage – and the scene with the shark is chillingly economic.

But ultimately? More Blue Crush than Big Wednesday.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Netflix Streaming Services
James Mottram
James Mottram
Social Links Navigation
Freelance writer

James Mottram is a freelance film journalist, author of books that dive deep into films like Die Hard and Tenet, and a regular guest on the Total Film podcast. You'll find his writings on GamesRadar+ and Total Film, and in newspapers and magazines from across the world like The Times, The Independent, The i, Metro, The National, Marie Claire, and MindFood.

Read more
Phoebe Dynevor in Thrash
Horror Movies Stay clear of the water this summer as yet another shark horror movie is on the way, and its first trailer is terrifying
 
 
Kelly Gale in the first Deep Water teaser
Horror Movies Shark horror is so back as Deep Blue Sea director returns to the genre with action-packed first trailer for Deep Water
 
 
Karl Urban as Captain Connor in The Bluff
Action Movies The Boys star's new swashbuckling actioner compared to Pirates of the Caribbean in mixed-positive first reviews
 
 
Joe Kerry as Travis 'Teacake' Meachum and Georgina Campbell as Naomi Williams in Cold Storage
Horror Movies Stranger Things star's new zombie horror Cold Storage is a love letter to gooey, goofy sci-fi from the early 2000s
 
 
Under Paris
Horror Movies Sequel to Netflix's divisive shark horror hit Under Paris finds director in The Hills Have Eyes and Crawl helmer
 
 
Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights
Drama Movies Emerald Fennell's controversial Wuthering Heights works because it's like a half-remembered dream
 
 
Latest in Horror Movies
Halloween Kills
Horror Movies Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis says she wouldn't have returned for the Blumhouse sequel if she'd known it was a trilogy
 
 
Leon frowns in the care center in Resident Evil Requiem
Horror Movies Resident Evil director Zach Cregger proves he's the right person for the job after beating Requiem twice already
 
 
Michael B. Jordan in Ryan Coogler's vampire horror Sinners
Drama Movies Oscars 2026 live coverage: All the winners, red carpet, and the 97th Academy Awards' biggest moments – as it happens
 
 
Michael Johnston as Bear and Inde Navarrette as Nikki in Obsession
Horror Movies You'll wish you'd been ghosted after watching the new trailer for upcoming horror movie Obsession
 
 
Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter staring at each other in prison during the movie The Silence of the Lambs.
Horror Shows Hannibal creator says his "dream" Silence of the Lambs adaptation is "still out there in the universe"
 
 
Jessica Rothe as Tree Gelbman in Happy Death Day
Horror Movies Happy Death Day director sets horror return with supernatural pic that may or may not be set on an airplane
 
 
Latest in Reviews
Alien RPG Evolved Edition Core Rules on a wooden surface
Tabletop Gaming Alien: The Roleplaying Game Evolved Edition review
 
 
A Nyxi Flexi on a desk with pink lighting turned on
Gaming Controllers This controller lets you swap between Xbox and PlayStation thumbstick layouts
 
 
Key art for Marathon showing a colorful cybernetic character with a gun taking cover
FPS Games Marathon review in progress: "Bungie has created my favorite multiplayer shooter in years"
 
 
Invincible season 4
Superhero Shows Invincible season 4 review: "The MCU and DCU have a lot of catching up to do"
 
 
A blue and yellow Mr Handy model on a wooden table, in front of the Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo
Hardware I'm an idiot, and even I was able to make a cool Fallout action figure using this beginner-friendly 3D printer
 
 
1348 Ex Voto gameplay showing
Action Games 1348 Ex Voto review: "Filled with potential, this action-adventure fails to deliver"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Grace checks her phone on the street in Resident Evil Requiem
    1
    Epic Games producer says people worried DLSS 5 is "detracting from art direction" are "insane"
  2. 2
    "We referenced Elden Ring" on Nioh 3, says lead dev, but it's not a "response" to FromSoftware
  3. 3
    Prime Video drops first trailer for a feature-length Jack Ryan movie starring John Krasinski
  4. 4
    Beloved Mario RPG hides a secret "'Toads ramming each other rapidly' test room"
  5. 5
    I'm convinced the greatest horror game of all time is the Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly remake

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...