The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl Movie Review:


With a story that involves a trip to Planet Drool, a voyage through the Land of Milk and Cookies, and a literal brain storm (as in brains falling from the sky), “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D” isn't targeting 20-year-old film critics like me who would rather be at home watching Fargo for the five-hundredth time. This is a kids-only affair, so regardless of what my schlubby self has to say, little Timmy will probably want to see the movie anyway. Nevertheless, I'd like to give a heads-up to the parents concerning whether or not this is the sort of movie they'd want to sit in on with their little ones. In that respect, you might as well pop in that “Shrek 2” DVD again, because although the kiddies will eat up “Sharkboy and Lavagirl” like a birthday cake, adults might feel sick to their stomach with just one lick of the frosting.

Max (Cayden Boyd) is a bright fourth-grader whose knack for daydreaming of his two imaginary best friends, the half-kid/half-Jaws Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) and the literally fiery Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley), has made him an easy target for classroom bullies. Even his bickering parents (David Arquette and Kristin Davis) and his teacher, Mr. Electricidad (George Lopez), want Max to cease his childhood fantasies and grow up. But on one fateful day, fantasy becomes reality when Sharkboy and Lavagirl apparently break out into the real world, calling upon Max to help solve a crisis on Planet Drool. It seems the dreams that help keep the planet going are being overwhelmed by a cloud of darkness, with the maniacal Mr. Electric (also Lopez) bent on destroying Planet Drool completely.

Sharkboy and Lavagirl use their special powers as they help Max embark on the quest to save the planet's dreams from being erased, but as they start to weaken, it's up to Max to look inside himself, realize his own dreams, and bring his imagination to life in order to save the planet from a grim fate.

Perhaps it's only fair that Robert Rodriguez did “Sharkboy and Lavagirl” after co-directing the graphic novel adaptation “Sin City” earlier this year. The latter was an obviously adults-only picture, whereas “Sharkboy and Lavagirl,” based on the ideas and dreams of Rodriguez' own son Racer, is aimed squarely at the children of everyone who went to see “Sin City.” Rodriguez has achieved success with family films before, having done a terrific job with the inventive “Spy Kids” trilogy, but this time, he overloads the kiddie material and leaves the parents in the audience rolling their eyes for most of the show.

The acting here seems terribly flat, especially by Boyd and Jacob Davich as Max's nemesis on both Earth and Planet Drool; the script is a mishmash of colors, action set pieces, and thin subplots that never gestate or pull together to form something cohesive; and the 3-D effect makes the images look dark and washed-out while the glasses themselves do a number on your ears and nose.

However, despite not having a great time watching “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D” myself, I still recommend it for youngsters. It's a big, colorful, and imaginative film that encourages kids to think big and go for their dreams, and I gotta give Rodriguez credit for sending this sweet message in such a loud and clear way. Personally, though, I can't help wondering how Rodriguez went from doing “Sin City,” one of the most visually stunning films ever made, to creating one of the clunkiest.



Betty Jo Tucker

Max (Boyd) has always been a dreamer. Finding it hard to make friends, he retreats into his own dreams of adventure with his favourite characters Sharkboy (Lautner) and Lavagirl (Dooley) the planet Drool. This is a magical place where kids can have untold escapades and Sharkboy and Lavagirl live when they are not visiting Earth. When Max tells the rest of his class about his heroes, he instantly becomes the joke of the class and the school bully Linus (Davich) see this as open season on Max and sets out to totally ruin him. What none of them realise is that Sharkboy, Lavagirl and the planet Drool actually exist and Max’s heroes are heading to his school because they need his help.

After enjoying huge success with the ‘Spy Kids’ trilogy, writer/director Robert Rodriguez hopes to start another franchise with ‘The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl’ but does his latest live up to his previous successes.

The ‘Spy Kids’ trilogy were fun, family movies from a director that was showing his diverse skills as a filmmaker. Expectations were high for his next foray into the family entertainment genre but these three films would be a very hard act to follow. ‘The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D’ takes you into the fantasy dream world of Max that has become real. This opens the scope of the premise up for massive potential storylines but instead we end up with a confusing and overly elaborate movie that transforms into a complete mess.

The idea of a dream been so powerful that it becomes real is an interesting premise but his also makes the plot overly complicated. Bearing in mind that this is a movie made for children to watch, the world of Drool is a very confusing place. Made up from the dreams that Max has recorded in his dream journal, the planet is a patch world of different themed areas, all relating to a dream he has had. But after of all the trouble from telling his class about planet Drool, parts of the planet are now starting to disappear in darkness as Max decides to stop dreaming. The problems start here however because theses regions are not given any explanation why they exist and his affects the structure of the movie. All they seem to be is a change of scenery so the filmmakers can utilise different 3D effects.

After re-introducing 3D in the final ‘Spy Kids’ movie, Robert Rodriguez and his team now getting used to the technology and starting to use it with great imagination. The film is visually very impressive, with computer graphics used to create a very imaginative world. The 3D effects works well but it would be better if they switched to the more modern techniques used in IMAX films than the old fashioned red and blue lenses.

The young cast do their best with the roles, George Lopez is good in two very important roles but the lack of the all-star cast that the ‘Spy Kids’ movies had makes the movie aimed more towards the younger market, meaning the older viewer who accompany them won’t have anyone to really watch.

Overly complicated, confusing and lacking any real structure, ‘The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D’ just isn’t the film everyone was hoping for. Even though this is a visual treat and the 3D effects work very well, there is not enough here for even its intended audience to enjoy. On this evidence, this won’t be the start of a new trilogy.

Jamie Kelwick

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