Soul Surfer
Metascore
53 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 27
  3. Negative: 3 out of 27
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  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    Apr 8, 2011
    38
    You'd think it would be hard to make an uninteresting movie based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton... But the terminally bland Soul Surfer comes perilously close.
  2. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    Apr 7, 2011
    38
    The swells of inspirational storytelling sometimes threaten to swamp the underlying inspirational story.
  3. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: David Hiltbrand
    Apr 7, 2011
    38
    The aquatic and surf scenes are spectacular. The story, a clichéed climb to inspiration. Soul Surfer is more parable than plot.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 30
  3. Negative: 5 out of 30
  1. heyitsmegrif4
    3
    Great true story it is a totally inspiring story, oh this movie may just be wonderful. It isn't, this movie has uninspiring dialogue, bad acting surprising from AnnaSophia Robb and no chemistry between its stars. I give this movie 27%.… Full Review »
  2. Vadvaro
    10
    I'm not a christian or a country fan. But that doesn't prevent me from from enjoying this film. I'm not a professional movie reviwer either, but I don't understand the critics dislike. I've seen much, much worse films shoehorning religion and "feel good" messages into some real life plot. This film told a good story without being preachy or boring. I'm a huge fan of the ocean, so perhaps I'm biased but, this film is worth a watch. I've seen it twice at two seperate screenings and loved it each time. Anytime I felt it might start being to message heavy, the scene would change before it was lost due to overexposure. Plus there is a lot of great surfing scenes, competition and recreation.… Full Review »
  3. filmtrashreview
    5
    Soul Surfer is the story of a young surfer girl that was bitten by a shark and lost her harm. The most exciting part of this film was watching and waiting for that scene to happen. After her arm was gone this film turned into one of those mellow drama stories of faith and prayer. Sometimes I felt like this movie was trying to be what it is not; A motivational disney sports story. Lets just say this story is great but when you don't have the right script or people behind it (Disney) then even a story like this can fail on many levels.… Full Review »
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