The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D

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.

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D was probably better to be seen in the theater rather than on the small screen. It also helps to be not over the age of 9.

Still bearing that in mind and trying to view the film with a child's eye it's a charming story about a young kid whose make believe fantasy superhero friends come to life and take him to where one of them is from.

How'd you like to live on planet drool, as if some us might not live there already. That's where Lavagirl is from and the planet is in danger where kids are being held captive on an eternally moving roller-coaster. When one is on such a machine one hasn't the time to think or even daydream and in this world imagination is the enemy of the ruler, George Lopez who in a Wizard of Oz like turn is also the 3rd grade teacher in real life.

Cayden Boyd is the day dreaming Max who even keeps a journal of the adventures of his two friends. Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dooley are Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Lautner has certainly grown up and out in the past five years and now has some considerable box office pull with the Twilight films. David Arquette and Kristin Davis are Boyd's bickering parents who don't quite seem to have the time for their kid any longer.

Sharkboy and Lavagirl is a nice family film for those who have an eye for fantasy of The Wizard Of Oz kind.

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.

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.

I know people hate the movie for the CGI, but you can't really go wrong with the childhood memories that people have when they were kids, I loved this movie when I was a child, it's one of my childhood movies along with Chicken Little, Space Jam, Charolette's Web (1972), Cat in the Hat (2003), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). People can hate the movie if they want, it's their opinion, but you can't go wrong the childhood