Back in 2003 Bethany Hamilton was all over the news after loosing her arm in a shark attack while surfing.  Following this she became an inspiration to many when she returned to the water a month or so after to continue doing what she loves.  Considering how much Hollywood loves bringing these “inspired by / based on true events” to screen it was more than likely that we would eventually see this one gracing the big screen as well.  Eight years later it finally happened, but unfortunately the transition to this medium doesn’t work as well as hoped.

Now maybe this is unfair to say and I almost feel like a horribly insensitive person for tearing this film a new one because of the subject matter and my memories of hearing about Bethany Hamilton and seeing her on the news when it happened, but the film is just so poorly done that it becomes comedically painful to watch.  Sure it is nicely shot, fully capturing the beauty of Hawaii and will have you leaving the theater dying for a glass of water after staring at that clear blue water, but it is what was shot that doesn’t quite work. [Read more...]