Review: “The Adventures Of Sharkboy & Lavagirl In 3-D”

Two years ago, Robert Rodriguez brought back the novelty 3-D format for his hit sequel Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. Now, he's back at the eye-popping action again with The Adventures Of Sharkboy & Lavagirl In 3-D (PG). The story centers around a boy that has a wild imagination and dreams up a couple of superheroes. When those superheroes comes to life one day they need the boy's help to save their home planet. The key to it all is the boy's dreams. The message of the flick is you should never give up on your dreams, which is a very nice theme. (Walt Disney once said that if you can dream it, it can come true. Lavagirl says that everything good started with a dream. Those are some nice rules to live by.) Sadly, the story is so childlike that it ends up being lost on everyone and there are several puns that are nothing short of wretched. The actor that plays Sharkboy is unlikely to succeed in the field of acting but the actress that plays Lavagirl and the actor that plays Linus/Minus are some nice finds. The real question here is do the special effects work and the answer is in most cases they do. The dreamy landscapes of electricity, cookies, and ice are stunning and provide a few surprises of awe. This is nothing more than a gimmick flick that kids will absolutely love and everyone else will get a kick out of for the most part. It is a slight disappointment but it does have plenty of heart, action, and depth (both thematically and visually).