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Parents' Guide to

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D

By Common Sense Media, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Kids will love the 3-D aspect of this movie.

Movie PG 2005 94 minutes
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 15 parent reviews

ReviewerEgo
ReviewerEgo Adult
November 19, 2020
age 6+
It's 100% appropriate for kids, but the movie itself is trash. So content is ok for pretty much all ages, but the movie is absolute garbage. Good message at the end though.
1 person found this helpful.
Reggiedoodle
Reggiedoodle Parent of 5, 7 and 9-year-old
November 12, 2022
age 9+

Disappointing

I didn’t like how much focus on negativity there was in the first part of the movie - divorce and arguing parents, bullying, name calling, scary tornado scene in a classroom.
See all 15 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Shy 10-year-old Max (Cayden Boyd) loses himself in an elaborate fantasy world to escape the classmates who bully him and the constant bickering of his parents (David Arquette and Kristin Davis). Max's fourth grade teacher, Mr. Electricidad (George Lopez) encourages Max to keep recording his dreams, but Max makes the mistake of sharing the adventures of Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley) with his class -- and of course no one believes that Max is friends with a boy who was raised by sharks and a girl with supernatural powers who emits red-hot rocks. But then Sharkboy and Lavagirl show up at school one stormy day and plead with Max to come with them to the three-dimensional Planet Drool -- Max's imagination and dreams are the only thing that can save their planet. Max heads to a paradise filled with roller coasters, cool gadgets like a fudge-spewing motorbike, and the delicious Land of Milk and Cookies to help his friends defeat the nefarious Mr. Electric and keep his dreams alive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (15 ):
Kids say (70 ):

THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL IN 3-D may not be Oscar-worthy, but it will definitely please its target audience of elementary-school kids. The novelty of using 3-D glasses alone will make it irresistible; many of today's children have never had the opportunity to see action literally jump out of the screen at them, and they'll be amazed by the eye-popping experience. They'll also get a kick out of the story, which was "based on the intergalactic journeys and superhero stories created by director Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids)'s 7-year-old son Racer Max."

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D borrows heavily from The Wizard of Oz -- from the tornado that sets the action into motion to the appearance of familiar faces in the alternate world (Max's teacher, the class bully, and the object of Max's affection all have important roles in Planet Drool), many parts of the movie feel a little too familiar. But there are enough cool special effects and gadgets to captivate kids, and enough clever references to amuse parents (the kids take The Train Of Thought, float through The Stream of Consciousness, and experience a Brain Storm -- with brains raining from above due to an excess of creativity). The message about following your dreams becomes heavy-handed at times, but kids will be too busy taking in the 3-D images and losing themselves in a vibrant fantasy playground to notice.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the fact that this movie was based on the dreams and fantasies of the director's 7-year-old son -- which of your dreams is worthy of a movie? They could also talk about the importance of imagination and turning dreams into reality. Some kids may be inspired to start keep their own dream journal, just like Max.

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