‘The Perfect Wave’ brings Ian McCormack miracle to life with star Scott Eastwood
Billed as a faith-based film, the true story of Ian McCormack’s miraculous healing, The Perfect Wave, is bland surfing film with a powerful redemptive ending, mostly because it’s a true story.
Starring Scott Eastwood, Cheryl Ladd of Charlie’s Angels fame and Rachel Hendrix from October Baby, Wave follows Eastwood as McCormack traveling the world to surf the biggest waves and fulfill his obsession. Ian falls for a free-spirited girl named Annabelle, but sees their relationship crumble after acting like a jealous child.
The climaxi the box jellyfish incident which leaves Ian near death before a powerful ending. This is where Eastwood excels and critics are the most wrong about The Perfect Wave. There is no Jesus club to beat the audience over the head, nor is it a contrived story of heaven, but an actual account by McCormack.
One critic attacks the ending: “When Ian sees his surf buddies for the first time after his accident, he tells them about his otherworldly experience, and one of them immediately downloads the Bible on his tablet, which feels heavy-handed to say the least” which couldn’t be more incorrect.
Out of several friends, ONE checked out the Bible the next day after hearing and seeing this man survive a box jellyfish attack.
The love story is so abruptly interrupted by Annebelle’s overreaction to Ian’s lack of trust, that a father would tell his son to run and run fast because she’s got issues. For most of the film, first time director Bruce McDonald can only offer beautiful landscapes and surfing scenes because the hollow dialogue is delivered poorly leaving only surfer fans entertained.
McCormack’s post credit testimonial cements a message here: miracles are possible. While the film is set in today’s world of tablets and cell phones, the incident occurred over three decades ago. The real Ian doesn’t need money or fame, so telling his tale is motivated only by what he saw, experienced and a passion to reach people for Christ.
Beyond great surf photography, the film fails to offer more than Ian’s testimony, which is better presented by the real man’s brief recounting of the incident. McConald’s film is scenic, but fails to engage the audience.
The Perfect Wave recieves 2 of 5 stars
Evangelicals may look past the weak acting, dialogue and lack of charcter development because they connect to the message, so many will enjoy and praise the film more than my review.
More details on their website: http://www.theperfectwave.co.za/
[…] Pure Flix may have turned the corner to expand their genre of films in theaters, but the studio will need to revisit the creative teams involved. Director Bruce MacDonald also directed The Perfect Wave, a miraculous story of God’s healing of surfer Ian McCormack, but it fell flat as well. […]
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