The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D (DVD)

Robert Rodriguez (SPY KIDS, DESPERADO) directed this hyperkinetic kids` film based on a script by his pre-teen son, Racer. The plot concerns a daydreaming youngster named Max (Cayden Boyd) whose fantasy stories about the titular superheroes--the molten-hot Lava Girl (Taylor Dooley), and a boy raised by sharks appropriately named Shark Boy (Taylor Lautner)--inspire the ridicule of everyone from the local bullies to his own mom (Kristin Davis). Even Max`s fourth grade teacher (George Lopez) wants him to come down to earth, but then a tornado brings Shark Boy and Lava Girl into the school to whisk Max off to the planet Drool, where only his dreaming skills can save the day. A real kid`s active imagination is obviously at work here, because the giddy action flies in all directions with a cheerful disregard for conventions of logic or sanity, and Rodriguez is obviously the right sort of adult to bring such a film to life (he must be a great dad). The message about the importance of not just believing in your dreams but working to achieve them should prove relevant for an audience who may be spending a bit too much time in front of the TV or computer game. The cool 3-D effects are something else, with goo and fists and lunging Shark Boy regularly leaping off of the screen. But even without the 3-D amplification, viewers will be dazzled by the film`s wild, day-glo color scheme. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.