With massive special effects and an entertaining story, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D is a rollercoaster ride that is actually fun for the whole family.
The film is from director Robert Rodriguez – who credits his seven-year-old son, Racer Max, with coming up with the basic plot and the characters. The DVD comes with both 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and four 3-D glasses.
The basic message of the movie is to tell kids to never stop dreaming or following their imagination. This is done through the story of Max, a kid with a wild imagination, who invents two friends, Shark Boy and Lava Girl, in his dreams. He also invents Planet Drool – where all of his dreams reside and nothing is beyond imagination.
When he is told to stop dreaming, the two heroes come to life and whisk him away to Planet Drool to stop the coming Darkness that is destroying the planet.
Since Max created them and the world, he is the only one with the power to stop the Darkness. To do this, Max has to find the ability to dream again.
Although the basic story seems familiar (it reminded me of The NeverEnding Story), the characters and special effects of the movie are enough to keep you laughing from the start, and it will really entertain a kid audience.
I watched the movie with my six-year-old son, and he loved every minute of it. While that might not be the best recommendation, it shows the movie hits the targeted audience.
Even with much of the movie aimed at kids, there are still enough laughs in it to keep the adults entertained, and Rodriguez manages to make a movie that is not as annoying as some family films.
George Lopez, who plays both a teacher and one of the villains on Planet Drool, brings most of the laughs to the screen.
Shark Boy and Lava Girl is a movie that the whole family can enjoy
The actor gets enough snappy one-liners in to keep adults laughing, and never seems to ham up the part too bad – like Sylvester Stallone did in Spy Kids 3-D – Game Over.<!--page-->
Lopez is great in the film and gives the adults some laughs too
There are also some pretty amazing special effects and Planet Drool, with its rivers of milk and cookies, does look like something that only a child could think to create.The special effects don’t override the movie like in some films, and Rodriguez does a good job using the 3-D effects to make the movie more entertaining.
The DVD is rather light on special features, but does have a look at how they created Shark Boy and Lava Girl. The behind the scenes feature shows how involved Racer Max was in the creation of the movie, and how he created the characters, and even some of the set designs.
The feature is narrated by Rodriguez – who uses the behind the scenes feature as another way to tell parents to keep their kids dreaming.
Planet Drool looks like it had to come from the mind of a child
Overall, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D may not be for everyone, but it is an entertaining movie for kids. The movie has a good message to it, and Rodriguez makes sure to add enough laughs to keep parents as entertained as their children.
I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for something the whole family can watch, enjoy and have a good laugh.
The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D is available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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