‘Sharkboy’ lacks teeth
It’s been only two months since we last heard from multitasking director Robert Rodriguez, as his ultraviolent comic book adaptation “Sin City” was released in April to great acclaim.
It takes no small amount of moxie to follow up a bacchanal as “Sin City” with a children’s picture. To some extent, “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D” is praiseworthy simply because it’s the complete antithesis of its predecessor.
Rodriguez’s bipolar enterprise would be more remarkable, however, if the two movies matched each other in quality.
The new movie suffers many of the same weaknesses that pervade his undeservedly successful “Spy Kids” franchise. The characters are little more than high-concept playthings, the plot is stitched from loosely linked set pieces and the youth-empowering life lessons are didactically delivered.
Even the 3-D element is underwhelming. There aren’t nearly enough pop-out moments to justify the need for plastic spectacles, and the red-blue viewing headgear gives the characters and environments a dull, sickly pallor.
The film advertises itself as a “Rodriguez family movie,” based on superheroes and strange worlds invented by the director’s 7-year-old son, Racer Max. The main character, Max (Cayden Boyd), is a lonely grade-schooler who fills a notebook with drawings of friends he’s created, the fish-human hybrid Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) and the fire-wielding Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley).
His teacher, Mr. Electricidad (George Lopez), and parents (David Arquette, Kristin Davis) warn him about the dangers of losing himself in daydreams. One wishes Rodriguez would follow this advice, since he allows the story to stray into the realm of unfocused whimsy.
The plot finds Max embarking on an imaginary journey with Sharkboy and Lavagirl to the Planet Drool, where they encounter surrealist versions of the people in the kid’s life. Their mission is to prevent the evil Mr. Electric (Lopez) from destroying all children’s dreams. Along the way, Max gains confidence, Sharkboy learns to control his anger and Lavagirl resolves an existential crisis.
Children might find sporadic enjoyment in the fantastical travels, and the picture doesn’t contain anything to offend parents. But it also lacks a sense of fun and innovation, two things Rodriguez reliably delivers when he makes movies for grown-ups.