The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D

Rating PG Formats DVD Genre children Starring George Lopez, David Arquette, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Dooley Directed by Robert Rodriguez Publisher Buena Vista Home Video External Links Official Site

The success of Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids 3D: Game Over fueled the fast-track production of The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D. The multitasking Hollywood wunderkind directed, shot, edited, composed music, and even co-wrote the film with his son, Racer Max.

The adventure begins with Max (Cayden Boyd), the film's protagonist, telling a story to his incredulous classmates of how he met Shark Boy (Taylor Lautner) and Lava Girl (Taylor Dooley) during his summer vacation. We learn that Shark Boy was raised by hundreds of sharks after a violent storm destroyed him home and swept his father out to sea, and that he has subsequently grown gills, fins, sharp talons, and jagged teeth. Max meets Shark Boy while fishing one day, sneaks him into his house unbeknownst to Max' arguing parents (David Arquette and Kristin Davis), and keeps Shark Boy until Lava Girl arrives and takes Shark Boy away to planet Drool.

Dismissed by his teacher, Mr. Electricidad (one of George Lopez's multiple roles), as a dreamer, Max is encouraged to quit dreaming. Meanwhile, Max's classmates think he is just plain weird. The class bully, Linus (Jacob Davich, who later doubles as Minus), steals Max's prized dream journal and promises to create his own evil adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl. That evening, Shark Boy and Lava Girl visit Max. Planet Drool is in danger, and they are in desperate need of his help. Was he dreaming? Are they real? All evidence suggests that Max is telling the truth, however these super characters are entirely conceived from his imagination.

The very next day, angry storm clouds gather outside Max's school. Shark Boy and Lava Girl explode into the classroom and sweep Max away to the disbelief of Mr. Electricidad and the class. Max then heads to planet Drool to help Shark Boy and Lava Girl defeat the wicked Mr. Electricity and conniving Minus. The similarities to "The Wizard of Oz" are apparent, in which individuals from Max's real world end up as allegories for good and evil in Max's dream world. Max, Shark Boy, and Lava Girl, embark on a series of adventures that play out more or less like a video game. They defeat "plughounds" and anything else Mr. Electricity can throw their way, travel on the "Train of Thought" and over the "Stream of Consciousness," encounter the Ice Princess (Sasha Pieterse, also in a dual role), and eventually battle against Minus to save planet Drool from complete darkness.

Overall, the film seems thrown together. Visual effects are dreamy and surreal, however they don't particularly meet today's FX standards. The acting is flat out poor, although there are enough distractions to keep it a relatively enjoyable movie for adults. Mr. Electricity's occasional tongue-in-cheek dialogue was especially refreshing. However, Rodriguez misses the opportunity to further investigate Max's problems at school. Friction between Max's parents seems to support why the boy is such a dreamer, but it's an issue that is all but forgotten upon the arrival of the title characters, and then swiftly and obligatorily revisited. Needless to say, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D aims for a young audience, but certain kid-targeted movies out there, such as the Shrek franchise, find a nice balance for children and adults. This 3D adventure is just for kids.

The DVD features both 3D and 2D versions of the film and 4 pairs of 3D glasses. Included are exhaustive instructions for setting your TV for the best possible 3D experience, however I was unable to obtain a clean 3D image and quickly abandoned the 3D version of the movie for the 2D version. Robert Rodriguez offers an insightful commentary (on the 2D version only), and a "Creating Shark Boy and Lava Girl with Racer Max," which consist of home videos of Rodriguez developing the story with his son. These behind the scenes additions are extraordinarily endearing and worth checking out.