The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D

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.

Ever since my son got a miniature Lava Girl toy in a fast food meal he has been enthralled with her. I think Taylor Dooley has a great smile and I hope this movie won't be an end to her acting career. My son lost interest in the movie before it was 1/2 over. We saw it in 2-D in a home theater (DVD). From the other reviews I have read, we didn't miss a lot with regards to the 3-D. The plot was a cross between a never ending story and a never ending story. My son still loves the toy though. And I look foreword to more of Miss Dooleys smile.

I don't want to be accused of padding my comment with junk words, but when you have said all there is to say about a movie, I don't think you should be required to say more. Lest you end up in the same position as the writer of this movie. Forced by the constraints of running time or in this case a websites guidelines to stretch 5 lines of dialog into 10 lines of commentary.

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.

Well, to be honest, the movie is terrible. It was a true horror to have to see it again almost 15 years after the first time, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we remembered it a thousand times better in general.

The acting is so bad that it becomes a little uncomfortable, the plot of "being a dreamer" is super poor with an ultra cliche message seen in a thousand other children's films and the use of the green screen is simply a disaster, it's laughable as they proudly promote it on the poster, putting 3D in large.

BUT, this movie was a part of my childhood, and I'm sure many other people's. Looking at the positive, the characters are original and I couldn't stop laughing watching George Lopez as Mr. Electric.

It is definitely not a good film, but if we let ourselves be carried away by nostalgia and not so much by criticism, it is quite good.

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.