Starring:
Taylor Lautner as Sharkboy
Taylor Dooley as Lavagirl
Cayden Boyd as Max
George Lopez as Mr. Electric/Tobor/Ice/Guardian/Mr. Electricidad
David Arquette as Max’s Dad
Kristin Davis as Max’s Mom
Jacob Davich as Linus/Minus
Sasha Pieterse as Marissa/Ice Princess
Rico Torres as Sharkboy’s Dad
Rebel Rodriguez as Sharkboy, Age 5
Racer Rodriguez as Sharkboy, Age 7
Rocket Rodriguez as Lug
Special Features:
Contains both the 3D and 2D versions
Includes four pair of 3D glasses
Creating “Sharkboy and Lavagirl” with Racer Max
Feature Commentary with Director Robert Rodriguez
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is the description from the DVD cover:
“Another family adventure from the hit-making director of Spy Kids, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl is nonstop fun and stars Hollywood favorites David Arquette, Kristin Davis, and George Lopez. Everyone always knew that Max had a wild imagination … but no one believed that his wildest creations — a boy raised by watchful great white sharks and a girl with the force of a volcano — were real! Now, these two pint-sized action masters will show Max that even an ordinary kid has what it takes to be extraordinary! Bursting with cool, eye-popping 3-D special effects — even the smallest dreamers can become the biggest heroes in this entertaining motion picture!”
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D is rated PG for mild action and some rude humor.
The Movie:
I can almost copy and paste my review for Spy Kids 3-D and it equally applies to Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Both films have storylines that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Both films are more appealing to kids than adults. Finally the only reason for adults to see both films is the 3-D effects. In short, if you liked Spy Kids 3-D, then you’ll like this movie. If you hated the Spy Kids sequel, you’ll hate this film.
This time around Robert Rodriguez has a good excuse for the movie feeling like it was written by a six year old. It was actually written by his six year old son. Rodriguez and his sons came up with the characters, plotted a variety of sequences, and even cast the movie together. I think this is a fantastic thing for him to do and proof that he’s a great guy and a good family man. The only problem is that I’m the one that still has to endure it for the sake of my kids. I think with very little effort Rodriguez could have made this movie enjoyable for both kids and adults. When he does that in future movies, I’ll be even more impressed.
If you need to entertain some kids for an hour and a half, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D will fit the bill. Adults will find it cool for a few minutes thanks to the great 3-D effects, but the inane plot will soon send them fleeing out of the living room.
The Extras:
This DVD is shockingly light on the bonus features. There’s a short “making-of” video where Rodriguez explains the origin of the characters and story. He shares a lot of home movies and you see his sons actually coming up with scenes from the film while playing around. Also shown is footage from the casting session, behind the scenes footage, and more. It’s an interesting and heartwarming look at Rodriguez and his family.
The second bonus feature is a commentary by the director. He talks even more about the background of the characters and points out a lot of interesting bits of trivia (like the fact that he voices one of the sharks, cameos by his sons, etc.).
Unfortunately there’s nothing on the special effects, the music, or any of the other interesting aspects of the movie. It’s possible a special edition is in the works in the future.
The Bottom Line:
The 3-D effects are cool, but the nonsense plot of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D makes it almost unbearable to watch for adults. Kids will get a big kick out of it, though.
