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The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005)

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148 comments in total

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54 out of 70 people found the following comment useful :-
Good for kids, 15 June 2005

Author: Anthony_Boyd from CA, USA

Well, I didn't like it. Or, at the least what I mean is that I just saw a movie with tons of plot-holes, childish themes, and so on. However, you better believe my kids loved it. My son actually hooted and hollered when Sharkboy started fighting the plugs. He grabbed my shirt and motioned for me to watch, even though I already was. I think I just witnessed my son discovering his first hero.

My daughter laughed and laughed. She loved Lavagirl. She thought it was hilarious when Lavagirl zapped Sharkboy because he said someone else was prettier. And my daughter is old enough to understand the themes of pursuing your goals and remaining strong in the face of discouragement. So I think she walked away very pleased with the film. She said she wants to be Lavagirl for Halloween.

If you're 16+ this movie is a loser. You won't like it, and that explains all the low scores you're seeing here. This movie just isn't for adults. But if you are a parent looking to entertain your kids, this movie works. And if you are reading this near the end of 2005 or later, you should probably know that renting this as a video will be a fine way to keep your kids occupied.

-Tony

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42 out of 65 people found the following comment useful :-
My son liked the movie, 11 June 2005

Author: radiojimmyc from United States

I took my 9 year old son to Shark Boy and Lava Girl expecting to see a movie for kids. I saw a movie for kids. Yes, the story was predictable and the acting could have been better. Many scenes had my son at the edge of his seat. He has a wild imagination and enjoyed seeing a movie about a boy with a similar imagination. Taylor Dooley is adorable, and Taylor Lautner has some great moves in the movie. I asked my son for a quote about the movie: "It is exciting, adventurous, and the 3-d effects could have been a little better, but if it wasn't 3-d it wouldn't be good at all". It's a kids movie and my kid liked it, maybe yours will too. I

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21 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
Adults beware...Leave it to the kids!, 20 November 2005

Author: yaalaast from Haida Gwaii

I hadn't planned on wasting my time reviewing this mess, but there are some subtleties that crept into my consciousness after the second forced viewing which may enhance a prospective viewer's experience.

First of all, this movie obviously was designed for younger kids. That fact alone has a detrimental effect on a review done by an adult (as can be seen by previous reviews). However, it should be noted that a movie for the target audience will most likely be attended by their parents or guardians, and should be at least bearable for them also. This movie falls short in that regard.

My son, who is 5, absolutely raves about this movie, and will no doubt wear out the DVD in the next few weeks. But my younger brother, who is 17, walked out five minutes into it. Kids under 12 will probably be best entertained by Sharkboy & Lavagirl. It is a very colourful movie with a lot of motion and many bizarre graphics. There is nothing offensive in this movie by the way. Even the "fight" scenes are mild and clean.

Now, the main subtlety on my mind is that Sharkboy (who was the best actor in this colourful, but mindless drivel) has obvious hidden talent. This movie, however, was not the right venue to expose that talent. Sharkboy moves well in action scenes and would be more aptly suited to a martial arts style role. Also, Sharkboy has a wide range of facial expressions (although the ones emphasised by this movie consisted mainly of scowls and frowns). With continued training, suitable roles, and of course (and most importantly) proper direction, Sharkboy could go far with his acting career. Also, he is a decent looking lad, which seems to be a requirement for an acting career these days. I'm certainly hoping we'll be seeing more of Sharkboy in the future.

Another noted item: If you have the 2D version, it seems to be far superior to the 3D. My son thought the glasses were fun the first time, but after that he didn't want anything to do with them and now only watches the 2D version. Possibly this 3D effect is better if viewed in a theatre.

I'm giving out a rating of 7 for this title, simply because it certainly has the ability to entertain the kids...which was its purpose I'm sure. I would definitely recommend Sharkboy & Lavagirl if you have younger children. For adults it has no value whatsoever.

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52 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :-
Where's the 3-d?, 26 May 2005

Author: krankcolc from cincinnati

This movie doesn't really need a review. If you have a boy between the ages of 5 and 12, you are probably going to have/get to see this film so here's what to expect:

More of the same... only less. Sorry if that doesn't make sense but it will. More of the same because it's just like "Spy Kids 3-D" on the way it looks and unfold. It looks like a video game and is very predictable. Less is because there is, unfortunately, hardly any good 3-D sequences. Nothing pops out at you the way it did in SPY KIDS except for when someone sneezes or throws something, and that is not too often. The 3-D in the action scenes was poor and barely noticeable. You can't expect too much from the RED AND BLUE 3-D but this was a step backwards from SPY KIDS.

The good news is that you will probably not get a headache from the 3-D like SPY KIDS. My 6 year old loved it and did not say a word throughout (a minor miracle), so i guess it does what it is supposed to do. Entertain the kids.

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20 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
I hated it - the kids loved it., 8 August 2005

Author: from United States

I hated it.

My two kids (5 and 7) thought it was the best movie of all time. And they've seen lots of movies. Let's face it: we can't always dictate what the kids should like. This one simply appeals to them, and from a parents perspective, its basically harmless (except to the older crowd - then it is painfully boring).

I would recommend bringing a book.

Or a pillow and a sweater.

Or, at least some thoughts that you wanted to concentrate on for a while.

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51 out of 91 people found the following comment useful :-
I got in a fight with the guy at the cinema, 12 June 2005

Author: Ryan Leacock (leacockryan@hotmail.com) from Canada

Alright, I am bias... I don't think I possess the ability not to be. I have read Robert's book "Rebel without a crew", I have seen all of his movies. So, I am a fan of what I feel he is trying to do.

I saw the trailer for this movie, and thought it looked well... like a bad idea. But then I heard that it was his son's idea, and I did warm up to it. That said I didn't go to the theater expecting very much, but I knew I wanted to watch it with the mindset of a child. I have a younger brother, and now that I have seen it... I want to take him. But wouldn't have taken him without seeing it first, as he is still quite young. So my girlfriend and I went, and after a heated debate about film with some cinematic idiot while my girlfriend was in the washroom, we went in to see what it was all about.

So I'm not going to write out all the thing I liked it didn't like as a play by play on this movie. The one main thing that I really hated was the constant puns. But really, if I was a kid, I really think I would like it, a lot. It didn't seem all that different to me than any of the spy kids, and I plan on taking my little brother to see if my theory is true. The 3D worked on me, and while things weren't flying in my face the whole time, it did give the movie a strange depth.

So what can I say, I was in no way expecting cinematic brilliance but I did enjoy most of what I say created before me. I'm 20 years old, and I think I understood what they were trying to do.

So, I don't know... give it a chance. Take a kid to see it, or just try to enjoy it for what it is. But try to remember this, when you are a kid your imagination is insane. My brother tells me the most foolish, crazy stories... because he is a kid. The movie lets imagination run free, and I think that is a good thing.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Most perplexing viewing experience of my life., 18 April 2006

Author: gilbert_gumphrey from Canada

I can't remember the last time a movie confused and tormented my filmgoing soul as much as this movie did. Everything inside of me, everything in me that loves Shawshank Redemption and Vertigo and Raging Bull and all these great great great classic movies tells me that Sharkboy and Lavagirl was awful. And it was. Drastically awful. And I enjoyed almost every minute of it. Let me try and explain it this way - I have written ongoing lists of the greatest films ever made, and the worst films ever made, and Sharkboy and Lavagirl is the only movie I've ever seen that has gotten a placement in both lists for me.

Sharkboy is about a young child named Max who dreams up wonderful fantasies and adolescent superhero type adventures. Eventually he travels into this dream world aided by the aforementioned Sharkboy and Lavagirl as they fight to keep the dream world a happy go lucky place from the evil Mr. Electric. So there's the story. Simple, childish, and a bit reminiscent of Neverending Story. I knew this plot before my 6 year old cousin made me watch the film and I sighed. What a waste of two hours this would be. Then something strange happened. I got a chill. Then Lavagirl and Sharkboy appeared and took Max into their spaceship, and I got more chills. Throughout the course of the movie, especially in the end, I was enthralled and received more goosebumps than when I watched Braveheart, much to the embarrassment of my dumbfounded girlfriend.

I have no idea how to explain my reaction to the film. I was pleasantly surprised, obviously, and I had a lot of fun watching the movie (I'm excluding the terrible 3-D version of the film, which is a pointless distract-or and takes away a lot of the magic). Then why am I only giving this movie 5 stars out of 10 (a middling mark to avoid giving it a 10 or a 1)? For the same reason why the movie is both on my list of most hated and most loved - it's a bad movie. To say it's a guilty pleasure to me would be underestimating guilt and pleasure. The script is silly, the special effects are slapdash, the editing is at times incoherent, the acting is atrocious, and there are moments where even my 6 year old cousin grimaced at the lame dialogue. But damned if this movie isn't a lot of fun.

So I can't really recommend the movie to anyone over the age of 10. I still can't believe that I, a 17 year old classic film lover, enjoyed this movie as much as I did. But I can definitely tell that it's a movie younger kids, especially boys (for I'm pretty sure every boy this age has dreams and fantasies just like the ones in the film) will love. I harkin this bizarre feeling I have for Sharkboy to when you find an old cartoon you used to love as a young child and watch it again. Even though you're reciting the lines and the songs like you did when you were young, you know deep down that if it wasn't a childhood favourite and gave you so much nostalgia, you'd hate it just as much as everyone else. This is what this movie was like for me. It was the childhood flick I never got to see. Maybe that warrants a recommendation. Maybe still not. I really don't know - you'll have to see it for yourself and find out.

Or maybe not.

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Captures childhood adventures in "Pretendingland", 27 March 2006

Author: deamatre from United States

This movie makes no sense- at least, not in the linear, neat, tidy, world of adulthood. But, it captures the messy, gritty, disjointed, weird, raw, non-linear, funky, wild, whimsical, internally inconsistent world of true childhood fantasy better than any film I can remember. The story is based off the "dreams" and stories of the director's then 7 year old son. As a mother and teacher, I can tell you that while the characters and situations are unique, they are also completely representative of the types of stories and imagination games that I have heard again and again.

My own children have certainly created their own superheroes steeped in the same balance of derivative lore and imaginative elements that Sharkboy and Lavagirl possess. When faced with similar fantasies played out on screen, my children responded gleefully. Heck, even before we got the DVD home their imaginations had been so captured by what they read on the box that they could not stop discussing it. And, once they had viewed the film, the conversation continued (and continued and continued!). Almost immediately, characters from the film began showing up in my children's own pretending games- only, not *quite* as they had existed in the movie. The characters grew and evolved and were changed and fluffed until they fit seamlessly into my daughter's world of "Sigalates" and my son's "Robotland".

In other words, the film did beautifully what all good fantasies do- it inspired others to create, examine and expand their own. In my opinion, that is a near complete success.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
My kids loved it!, 28 January 2007
Author: lemers from United States

I put this movie on for my 3 girls - 6 1/2 and 4 year twins earlier this week. They LOVED IT! It is definitely for the younger crowd and you need to take the movie for what it is.... a kid movie. Fortunately, I did record the movie on the DVR and they have watched it every day sometimes twice a day.

Also, since the boy in the movie has a dream journal, my oldest started to write in her journal again. Any movie that gets a kid to write has got to be OK.

Also, we watched the 2D version and seemed great. I really didn't know that there was a 3d version until now.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
It isn't THAT bad, 26 March 2006

Author: Gregg (cybertigger1@msn.com) from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Let's see. I went to see Disney's "The Shaggy Dog" with a friend and her grandkids. It was dull, stupid, predictable, and unimaginative, and the characters were utterly forgettable, every single one, including the dog.

Then the next night I watched some of "Sharkboy and Lavagirl" on DVD with the same kids. I thought it was funny, clever, and imaginative. And people criticizing the acting just don't seem to get it ... the actors deliberately played their roles in an over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek manner. You're not supposed to take it seriously.

There were some nice little funny moments, like when George Lopez asks Linus and Max if they can "just be friends" and they sort of swing their heads to look at each other, turn back and say, "No." I thought it was OK. So sue me.

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