Scenes from "Sharkboy and Lavagirl" in 3-D

Minus shoots pirhanas, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D was released in 2005, and is now . Max is a schoolboy whose imaginary superheroes Sharkboy and Lavagirl unexpectedly become real, and he must go with them to help save the world.

Young Sharkboy feeds the sharks, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D

Sharkboy is raised by sharks, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D
Sharkboy lost his father in a storm at sea, and was raised by sharks. The story was conceived by a seven-year-old boy, and polished into a movie script by grown-ups. It is full of the charming sort of nonsense that only young children can dream up.

Lavagirl on the rollercoaster, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D

Lavagirl melted into hot lava, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D
It is also full of the insipid sort of nonsense that only grown-ups can dream up. Lavagirl's existential angst over her identity and purpose in life just doesn't ring true. Look, you're a hot girl who shoots lava out of your fingers, and sometimes melts. What more do you need?

Giant cookie, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D

Tobor in the Dream Graveyard, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D
Even less true is the sappy moral about how you should "always believe your dreams," or some such rot. Even children know better than to go around believing their dreams. Only crazy people believe their dreams. The poor kids who are given this bum advice over and over again must long ago have concluded that all adults are insane or dishonest.

On the Passage of Time, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D

On the Stream of Consciousness, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D
And there are the puns: the Passage of Time, the Train of Thought, the Stream of Consciousness... get it?

Showdown between Max and Minus, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D

Minus in the brain storm, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D
But never mind all that. This movie is fun, and your kids will love it. My children have watched it countless times, and keep asking to see it again. The best scene is the final showdown between Max and his nemesis, Minus.

The brain freeze, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D

Max and Minus, still from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D
This fantastic world is very well and thoroughly conceived, with a richness that makes every viewing rewarding. The 3-D is not simply there to poke you in the eye; it is used to give this surreal world real depth and texture.

I recommend Sharkboy and Lavagirl to anyone with kids and a DVD player. It is sold in most stores that sell movies, and also . I should warn you that the disc does not come with any 3-D glasses! You'll have to get 3-D glasses separately.

By Sean Gleeson on August 15, 2008 12:14 PM | Permanent link to this post | Comments (0)