User Reviews

I can't remember the last time a movie confused and tormented my filmgoing soul as much as this movie did. Everything inside of me, everything in me that loves Shawshank Redemption and Vertigo and Raging Bull and all these great great great classic movies tells me that Sharkboy and Lavagirl was awful. And it was. Drastically awful. And I enjoyed almost every minute of it. Let me try and explain it this way - I have written ongoing lists of the greatest films ever made, and the worst films ever made, and Sharkboy and Lavagirl is the only movie I've ever seen that has gotten a placement in both lists for me.

Sharkboy is about a young child named Max who dreams up wonderful fantasies and adolescent superhero type adventures. Eventually he travels into this dream world aided by the aforementioned Sharkboy and Lavagirl as they fight to keep the dream world a happy go lucky place from the evil Mr. Electric. So there's the story. Simple, childish, and a bit reminiscent of Neverending Story. I knew this plot before my 6 year old cousin made me watch the film and I sighed. What a waste of two hours this would be. Then something strange happened. I got a chill. Then Lavagirl and Sharkboy appeared and took Max into their spaceship, and I got more chills. Throughout the course of the movie, especially in the end, I was enthralled and received more goosebumps than when I watched Braveheart, much to the embarrassment of my dumbfounded girlfriend.

I have no idea how to explain my reaction to the film. I was pleasantly surprised, obviously, and I had a lot of fun watching the movie (I'm excluding the terrible 3-D version of the film, which is a pointless distract-or and takes away a lot of the magic). Then why am I only giving this movie 5 stars out of 10 (a middling mark to avoid giving it a 10 or a 1)? For the same reason why the movie is both on my list of most hated and most loved - it's a bad movie. To say it's a guilty pleasure to me would be underestimating guilt and pleasure. The script is silly, the special effects are slapdash, the editing is at times incoherent, the acting is atrocious, and there are moments where even my 6 year old cousin grimaced at the lame dialogue. But damned if this movie isn't a lot of fun.

So I can't really recommend the movie to anyone over the age of 10. I still can't believe that I, a 17 year old classic film lover, enjoyed this movie as much as I did. But I can definitely tell that it's a movie younger kids, especially boys (for I'm pretty sure every boy this age has dreams and fantasies just like the ones in the film) will love. I harkin this bizarre feeling I have for Sharkboy to when you find an old cartoon you used to love as a young child and watch it again. Even though you're reciting the lines and the songs like you did when you were young, you know deep down that if it wasn't a childhood favourite and gave you so much nostalgia, you'd hate it just as much as everyone else. This is what this movie was like for me. It was the childhood flick I never got to see. Maybe that warrants a recommendation. Maybe still not. I really don't know - you'll have to see it for yourself and find out.

Or maybe not.

I took my 9 year old son to Shark Boy and Lava Girl expecting to see a movie for kids. I saw a movie for kids. Yes, the story was predictable and the acting could have been better. Many scenes had my son at the edge of his seat. He has a wild imagination and enjoyed seeing a movie about a boy with a similar imagination. Taylor Dooley is adorable, and Taylor Lautner has some great moves in the movie. I asked my son for a quote about the movie: "It is exciting, adventurous, and the 3-d effects could have been a little better, but if it wasn't 3-d it wouldn't be good at all". It's a kids movie and my kid liked it, maybe yours will too. I

I hated it.

My two kids (5 and 7) thought it was the best movie of all time. And they've seen lots of movies. Let's face it: we can't always dictate what the kids should like. This one simply appeals to them, and from a parents perspective, its basically harmless (except to the older crowd - then it is painfully boring).

I would recommend bringing a book.

Or a pillow and a sweater.

Or, at least some thoughts that you wanted to concentrate on for a while.

It's so bad re-watching it, but everyone swore this was the coolest movie when I was a kid 😂

This movie doesn't really need a review. If you have a boy between the ages of 5 and 12, you are probably going to have/get to see this film so here's what to expect:

More of the same... only less. Sorry if that doesn't make sense but it will. More of the same because it's just like "Spy Kids 3-D" on the way it looks and unfold. It looks like a video game and is very predictable. Less is because there is, unfortunately, hardly any good 3-D sequences. Nothing pops out at you the way it did in SPY KIDS except for when someone sneezes or throws something, and that is not too often. The 3-D in the action scenes was poor and barely noticeable. You can't expect too much from the RED AND BLUE 3-D but this was a step backwards from SPY KIDS.

The good news is that you will probably not get a headache from the 3-D like SPY KIDS. My 6 year old loved it and did not say a word throughout (a minor miracle), so i guess it does what it is supposed to do. Entertain the kids.

This is sort of a double review cause me and my girlfriend watched this together and we both have "thoughts" about it.

My 9yo cousin gave us this movie just cause he liked it...he even got us a couple pairs of 3d glasses to watch it with.

Both of us thought the movie was kid junk, but really isn't that what it was supposed to be? There were some fun spots though.

TRAVIS: Most of the characters I hated. (Too bad Mr. Electric didn't do away with some of em before he was defeated.) They were weak and poorly acted...esp. Max. But I liked Sharkboy for the most part. He had that cocky attitude that sort of appeals to me. And, although not original, some of his one-liners were cool.

ANNETTE: Travis is a bit harsh (as usual), but I'll agree with him about weak and poorly acted characters. I couldn't even identify with Lavagirl, although I thought she was quite attractive. Sharkboy was a really cute guy though. Mr. Electric/Teacher was nothing short of annoying.

TRAVIS: Story was really lame, but it's probably good enough for younger kids. It pretty much bored me tho. Some of the 3d was okay and I noticed it looked a heck of a lot better on our LCD TV than the old one.

ANNETTE: Yes. The story was very weak. But it was colourful, and as Travis noted, should appeal to a younger audience. 3d was fun, but not the best I've seen. We watched this on a 27-inch LCD screen with quite nice results.

ANNETTE: I thought the scene where Lavagirl zaps Sharkboy out of jealousy was the cutest part of this movie. And the way Sharkboy copied the tone of the Jurassic Park character's false calm in his "yell...scream" comment when they were on the "train-of-thought" was sort of humorous.

TRAVIS: Yeah Annette. You would like that zapping scene! My favourite scene was when Sharkboy says "ouch" with that sh*t-eating grin on his face when Lavagirl kisses him.

Well, anyhow, as you can see, we didn't totally abhor this movie. Although I think we both agree the only decent acting was by Sharkboy. For the most part this movie was boring. But that's most likely because we are too old for it. If you've got younger kids, it will probably entertain them adequately. Avg. rating=5.

TRAVIS: I rated this a 4 cause it seemed to be cranked out without much thought. With some extra work it could have been a lot better. The only reason it gets as high as a 4 is cause I liked Sharkboy.

ANNETTE: I rated this a 6 because it seemed to appeal to the audience intended. But I also agree that with more time and attention there certainly could have been a lot of improvement. Perhaps if Rodriguez decides to make a sequel, he will obtain a better story with better actors and surprise us all.

Ever since my son got a miniature Lava Girl toy in a fast food meal he has been enthralled with her. I think Taylor Dooley has a great smile and I hope this movie won't be an end to her acting career. My son lost interest in the movie before it was 1/2 over. We saw it in 2-D in a home theater (DVD). From the other reviews I have read, we didn't miss a lot with regards to the 3-D. The plot was a cross between a never ending story and a never ending story. My son still loves the toy though. And I look foreword to more of Miss Dooleys smile.

I don't want to be accused of padding my comment with junk words, but when you have said all there is to say about a movie, I don't think you should be required to say more. Lest you end up in the same position as the writer of this movie. Forced by the constraints of running time or in this case a websites guidelines to stretch 5 lines of dialog into 10 lines of commentary.

A colorful and occasionally imaginative film, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (In 3-D!!!) is an overall disappointment, a movie that had good intentions at the beginning, but devolved into a cheesy "message for our youth." The movie revolves around Max (Cayden Boyd), the picked-on grade school student who would rather create his own world rather than live in the real one. Of course he's picked on by class bully Linus (Jacob Davich), of course his parents are always fighting (David Arquette and Kristin Davis), and of course Max lives life as a miserable school student who has very little going for him. Writer/director Robert Rodriguez formulated the entire movie, from story to special effects, based on inspirations provided by his children. There are reasons that most movies, even the bad ones, are not made by children. The movie is well meaning, but relies on too many familiar story devices: class bullies, mean teachers, quiet kids who save the day. We've seen this movie before, but the colorful, Super Mario-Mushroom Kingdom-like worlds that inhabit the movie does add some to the entertainment value. Max is taken to his dream world, known as Planet Drool, by Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley), the two superheroes of the world. Each superhero contains some depth, not as much as the superheroes in The Incredibles, but the nice little subplot of each character trying to find their place in the world was a nice touch. For instance, after one difficult scene to watch, we now know Sharkboy cannot rap well at all. Otherwise, the characters are each have one note. George Lopez hams it up, most likely intentionally to offer a cheese element to this movie, but I found his characters to be annoying. The movie's plot lacks any imagination, and the world of Planet Drool does feature some creativity, but not enough to save an otherwise pedestrian family feature. This movie is Rodriguez's second foray into the 3-D genre, and though I did not use the 3-D glasses while viewing the movie, the scenes accenting the technology are pretty obvious to the casual observer and distract from the overall viewing experience. I really enjoyed the visual style Robert Rodriguez employed in Sin City, and that movie may have even been enhanced with a few 3-D moments, but Sharkboy and Lava girl was a move in the opposite direction for the maverick director.

well, i'll be honest, i am beginning to regret growing up, and quitting drugs. this movie would have been awesome if i were totally stoned out of my mind. (much like Charley and the chocolate factory)

all told, it is a fanciful story about a daydreaming kid, who is dealing with most of the people in his life telling him it's time to grow up, and stop dreaming.

it's not bad, and fairly kid safe. Your 4th grader will love this one. just don't try to sell them on it being another spy-kids. i do however see the potential for numerous sequels, and offshoots of this movie, much like the spy-kids franchise.

Ten-year-old Max (Cayden Boyd) is having problems at his new school, where he is picked on by classmates and teachers alike after telling them about his superhero friends Shark Boy and Lava Girl (Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dooley). Everyone thinks he's making them up until one day, they show up to whisk him off to Planet Drool to help them fight the evil Mr. Electric (George Lopez) and Minus.

The plot sounds like a film that only kids will like. However, it has Rodriguez behind the camera and he did a good job with the first two Spy Kids movies. Unfortunately, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D is no where near as good as his previous work. Besides for Rodriguez, I didn't really have high hopes for the film Spy Kids 3D was awful and the trailers made this film seem like a joke. While watching the film, I thought it really was a joke. It was really cheesy and it was quite bereft of entertainment. I was hoping the film would start picking up from the weak start. Unfortunately, it didn't.

The acting is horrible which is surprising since the kids in Spy Kids were pretty good actors. Taylor Lautner, who plays Sharkboy, does the worst job and he gives a really wooden performance. Taylor Dooley, who plays Lavagirl, isn't much better and her performance is pretty weak. George Lopez just makes a fool of himself and he gives an over the top performance. David Arquette and Kristen Davis both give decent performances but they don't really appear in the film. The lead, who is played by Cayden Boyd, also gives a wooden performance. I know they are just kids but their efforts felt a little weak.

I am really disappointed with Robert Rodriguez. The direction was really weak and the editing seem to have been done by a child. He spent too much time on the style instead of the story. Sadly, the film isn't even that stylish and it just looks like a mess. The story is pretty cheesy and lame. I know it was written by a kid but it was still pretty weak. Since the story is weak, the film is very dull. The sad thing is that the movie is only 85 minutes long but it feels so much longer since there is very little here to actually enjoy. The special effects are also pretty bad and they left me with a headache. In the end, this family film is better left on the shelf. Rating 2/10

This movie is so beautiful. The horrible green screen effects, the villain Linus,the dream journal,the horrid acting ,and the dream song.I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Watch this movie you will be in for a huge ride.

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D was probably better to be seen in the theater rather than on the small screen. It also helps to be not over the age of 9.

Still bearing that in mind and trying to view the film with a child's eye it's a charming story about a young kid whose make believe fantasy superhero friends come to life and take him to where one of them is from.

How'd you like to live on planet drool, as if some us might not live there already. That's where Lavagirl is from and the planet is in danger where kids are being held captive on an eternally moving roller-coaster. When one is on such a machine one hasn't the time to think or even daydream and in this world imagination is the enemy of the ruler, George Lopez who in a Wizard of Oz like turn is also the 3rd grade teacher in real life.

Cayden Boyd is the day dreaming Max who even keeps a journal of the adventures of his two friends. Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dooley are Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Lautner has certainly grown up and out in the past five years and now has some considerable box office pull with the Twilight films. David Arquette and Kristin Davis are Boyd's bickering parents who don't quite seem to have the time for their kid any longer.

Sharkboy and Lavagirl is a nice family film for those who have an eye for fantasy of The Wizard Of Oz kind.

Really lame toilet jokes and third rate cgi tormented by horribly wooden acting (these guys make Keanu look like Oscar potential) throw that in with a crate of Velveeta and you've got this utter waste of time.

With a plot (if you can call it that) that is a rip off of The Wizard of Oz (kid goes to a fantasy world where everyone is a representation of people that kid interacts with)and a few kids books and one or two graphic novels (a kid dreaming up super heroes who become real is not even a remotely new concept). The movie tries really hard to get you interested in the characters but you just can't, even when Lavagirl or Sharkboy are in danger the overall response is apathy. The humor was received in the very same way no groans no anything.

Most of the adults in the theater i saw it in had to be woken up by their kids when it was over perhaps the best summation comes from the mouth of my 8 year old who said "That was the most boring adventure movie i ever saw.".

Sorry Mr. Rodriguez but you can put glitter (in this case 3D) on a pile of manure and it's still a pile of manure.

The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl

This film is absolutely not for children. But is a postmodern masterpiece. It is a surrealistic nightmare on par with Eraserhead, as a young boy uses dreams to escape from the ennui of average suburban life. The purposely amateurish CGI work is an obvious satire of the blatant overuse of computer generated imagery in modern films. Additionally, the 3D work is a subtle undermining of the corporate film industry's reliance on this gimmicky technique. It is a psychedelic and stylistic tour de force, by far Rodriguez's best film. The script is a powerful exercise in stream-of-consciousness writing. You must see this film, but put the kids to bed first!

A+

Robert Rodriguez stunned the cinema world about a dozen years ago with the low budget El Mariachi, a story of mistaken identity, a lethal guitar case, and a mariachi who just wants to play his instrument. Since then, the director has not had to scrounge for money and exceeds expectations with movies as varied as Spy Kids and Sin City.

After seeing the lava scene in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, director Rodriguez' son, Racer, came up with the story for The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl. Dad then creates a song of praise to that imagination, certainly not in short supply in the Rodriguez family. Max (Cayden Boyd) dreams and makes real the fantastic heroes of his mind. The film labors to be cute and instructive, two characteristics better left by themselves in movies or kept the province of artists like animators at Dreamworks.

One hero of Max's imagination can melt whatever she wants by ejecting lava; the other can do considerable damage with his teeth. Max's school bully and the electronics teacher are transformed through Max's imagination into look-alikes of Reddy Kilowatt and Flash Gordon's evil Ming the Merciless. Thus ensues an adventure not as sharp as Spy Kids nor accomplished as Frank Miller's Sin City.

The didacticism (exhortations to believe in your dreams, dream with your eyes open, change your life through your dreams, blah, blah) is heavily administered through speechifying at almost every turn. Even the graphics are imperfect, cumbersome, dull, and by contemporary standards, pedestrian. Lava and lightening, sharks and ice cube monsters look like elementary school creations.

Max has a McCauley Culkin innocent look without the effeminate innocence and wiliness that made us feel comfortable when he was home alone. The principals, Boyd and Dooley, lack acting skills beyond awkwardly flashing well-attended teeth. A little like the characters from Peter Pan, these children are variously looking for parents either to pay attention to them or work harder at staying together as parents, similar to the four teens of this month's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a superior young-person's film blessed with solid acting and believable setups. The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D is even worse because the 3-D is still annoying after all these years to perfect that technology.

Shakespeare in Hamlet described the range of imagination: "Why may not imagination trace the noble dust of Alexander, till we find it stopping a bung-hole?" This film could at best hold back the wine.

Using the Spy Kids franchise name as a potential boost, this movie lacks the creativity to be more than a direct to home offering.

As others mentioned, the 3-D was sub-par and the story was lacking that must see feel. The characters are over the top geared more to be made fun of than laugh with.

Having a kid movie is fine, in light of all the more abrasive elements out in the world, but making a bad move!

Plus marketing it to be the vein of Spy Kids is bad planning on part of the film makers. It is NOT Spy Kids, it's trying to be one but falls way short.

Children will go to see it if other kids are going, but I don't see this film as being a repeat performer as a must have kid classic. I doubt every kid that sees it will remember it the following week, unless someone is making fun at it.

Parents are better off sticking with the classics then wasting money to have their kids be bored with this flick!

As a kid, I used to have a portable DVD player that I would take everywhere with me, and Sharkboy & Lavagirl was constantly on repeat, especially because I had the 3D version. As an adult, this movie is hot garbage, while really overstaying it's welcome! Although it was stylish & original in it's own way, it is very corny & very cringey! The script is probably top 5 worst I've ever seen. The animations were just unforgivable with horrid green screen backgrounds. This may be a hit for an absolute brainless kids movie, but as far as anything else goes, this movie tanks!

What the hell did i just watch. lavagirl is the only slightly enjoyable character. some moments are ok. just save yourself and don't watch it. lgbtq+ representation in the media won't corrupt kids mental processes, but this will.

Well, to be honest, the movie is terrible. It was a true horror to have to see it again almost 15 years after the first time, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we remembered it a thousand times better in general.

The acting is so bad that it becomes a little uncomfortable, the plot of "being a dreamer" is super poor with an ultra cliche message seen in a thousand other children's films and the use of the green screen is simply a disaster, it's laughable as they proudly promote it on the poster, putting 3D in large.

BUT, this movie was a part of my childhood, and I'm sure many other people's. Looking at the positive, the characters are original and I couldn't stop laughing watching George Lopez as Mr. Electric.

It is definitely not a good film, but if we let ourselves be carried away by nostalgia and not so much by criticism, it is quite good.

... with shades of "The Wizard of Oz." I have been introduced to some pleasant surprises by my 3 and 4 year old grandsons' viewing requests, but, dear God, this one makes me wish for the sweet release of death when they ask for it!!!

WHEN I WAS 14 YEARS OLD I USED 2 WATCH "THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY & LAVAGIRL IN 3-D, BECAUSE MY N. O. L. A. SISTER GAVE IT 2 ME 4 CHRISTMAS LAST YEAR. BUT MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME IS AN O. K. MOVIE, I HOPE.

Its definitely a film for kids but how could you hate it? It's SO funny. Pretty much a masterpiece. Nothing makes sense, everyone lacks sense and the acting is pretty much worth an academy award. What else can I say?

I hadn't planned on wasting my time reviewing this mess, but there are some subtleties that crept into my consciousness after the second forced viewing which may enhance a prospective viewer's experience.

First of all, this movie obviously was designed for younger kids. That fact alone has a detrimental effect on a review done by an adult (as can be seen by previous reviews). However, it should be noted that a movie for the target audience will most likely be attended by their parents or guardians, and should be at least bearable for them also. This movie falls short in that regard.

My son, who is 5, absolutely raves about this movie, and will no doubt wear out the DVD in the next few weeks. But my younger brother, who is 17, walked out five minutes into it. Kids under 12 will probably be best entertained by Sharkboy & Lavagirl. It is a very colourful movie with a lot of motion and many bizarre graphics. There is nothing offensive in this movie by the way. Even the "fight" scenes are mild and clean.

Now, the main subtlety on my mind is that Sharkboy (who was the best actor in this colourful, but mindless drivel) has obvious hidden talent. This movie, however, was not the right venue to expose that talent. Sharkboy moves well in action scenes and would be more aptly suited to a martial arts style role. Also, Sharkboy has a wide range of facial expressions (although the ones emphasised by this movie consisted mainly of scowls and frowns). With continued training, suitable roles, and of course (and most importantly) proper direction, Sharkboy could go far with his acting career. Also, he is a decent looking lad, which seems to be a requirement for an acting career these days. I'm certainly hoping we'll be seeing more of Sharkboy in the future.

Another noted item: If you have the 2D version, it seems to be far superior to the 3D. My son thought the glasses were fun the first time, but after that he didn't want anything to do with them and now only watches the 2D version. Possibly this 3D effect is better if viewed in a theatre.

I'm giving out a rating of 7 for this title, simply because it certainly has the ability to entertain the kids...which was its purpose I'm sure. I would definitely recommend Sharkboy & Lavagirl if you have younger children. For adults it has no value whatsoever.

My 6 year old daughter loved the movie, so I'll never repeat any of this in front of her. This movie was awful! Wooden acting, awful dialog, and a splotchy plot are all it has to offer. Talk about over-indulging your child... "Dad, I've got a GREAT idea for a movie, and by the way, I want to star in it!!!" How this one ever got made will be a mystery to me. I know that the whole point of a kids movie is to please the kid, but come on, please! There have been LOTS of kids movies, that while they weren't that great, were pleasant to watch. This one made me wish I were in a dentist's chair getting a root canal. At least it wouldn't be as painful as watching this.