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Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D, The
Dimension Films

Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 38 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
4.8 out of 10
based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 107 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG for mild action and some rude humor

Starring Taylor Lautner, Cayden Boyd, George Lopez, Taylor Dooley, Jacob Davich, Kristin Davis, and David Arquette

From the wild imagination of a child and the digital vision of director Robert Rodriguez comes this magical, original, not to mention three-dimensional, family entertainment. (Dimension Films)


GENRE(S): Action  |  Adventure  |  Comedy  |  Family/Kids  |  Fantasy  
WRITTEN BY: Racer Rodriguez (also story)
Robert Rodriguez
 
DIRECTED BY: Robert Rodriguez  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: September 20, 2005 
Video: September 20, 2005 
Theatrical: June 10, 2005 
RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
There is such a joy of play in the film that it's easy to overlook the overdone performances and the lazy script shortcuts.
Read Full Review
75
New York Post Kyle Smith
You can't get this kind of full-on sensory-jolt anywhere else, not legally anyway. "Sharkboy" will be equally beloved in elementary schools and in college dorms.
Read Full Review
70
Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
On the whole it feels genuine. Lautner and Dooley are compelling as the sullen, instinctual Sharkboy and the radiant, hot-headed Lavagirl, and it's easy to see why they dominate shy, hesitant Max's dreams.
Read Full Review
70
LA Weekly Ella Taylor
Slight but immensely enjoyable charmer.
Read Full Review
60
Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson
Robert Rodriguez and his kids conjure up a charming 3-D fantasy.
Read Full Review
50
The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
An often imaginative though less than magical family feature.
Read Full Review
50
Variety Joe Leydon
There's little chance of grabbing teens (or even many tweens) during summertime playdates. Still, small fry will be enchanted by this rambunctious action-adventure.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Charmingly low-tech fantasy.
Read Full Review
50
Miami Herald Peter Debruge
The result is like a low-rent "Wizard of Oz" or "Labyrinth," sticking close to the formula of a kid who falls asleep and wakes up in a fantastical wonderland where everything's just a little bit off.
Read Full Review
50
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
A case of a yummy yarn spoiled by cheesy visuals.
Read Full Review
50
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Only part of it is in 3-D, but youngsters should enjoy pulling their special specs on and off at appropriate moments.
Read Full Review
50
Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
A strange Hollywood film, but for a home movie it's one bang-up job.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Because the real world scenes are in 2-D and the dream and fantasy scenes are in 3-D, we get an idea of what the movie would have looked like without the unnecessary dimension. Signs flash on the screen to tell us when to put on and take off our polarizing glasses, and I felt regret every time I had to shut out those colorful images and return to the dim and dreary 3-D world. On DVD, this is going to be a great-looking movie.
Read Full Review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
For a movie aimed at children, Shark Boy and Lava Girl is gloomy.
Read Full Review
42
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
A story that would be charming if recited at the dinner table tries to carry a feature film, and it's not even close to the task. The result is screamingly bad.
Read Full Review
42
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Like choral singing and travel photography, this adventure is more fun for participants than it is for spectators.
Read Full Review
40
The New York Times Lawrence Van Gelder
Mr. Rodriguez seems unsure what his film is really about, making the moral of the story -- "dream an unselfish dream" -- feel more like a vaguely judgmental homily than a satisfying conclusion.
Read Full Review
38
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
As sweet and hopeless and silly as a doting dad framing his second-grader's latest finger-painting and calling it a Matisse.
Read Full Review
38
Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt
There's really just not a lot here. I'm sure Racer's story will entertain the very wee ones -- but so do keys.
Read Full Review
38
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
The story's so sloppy that it contradicts itself constantly.
Read Full Review
38
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
The low-tech film looks like a kid's crude drawing, plays like entry-level Game Boy, and is about as nourishing as a Tootsie Pop.
Read Full Review
38
USA Today Mike Clark
There's sad news to report about The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D: Put on the cardboard glasses, and you can still see the movie.
Read Full Review
30
Village Voice Ben Kenigsberg
Based on characters created by Rodriguez's then-seven-year-old son, Racer Max, the film doesn't belong in wide release. It belongs on a refrigerator door, alongside "100%" spelling tests, old lunch menus, and notices from the PTA.
Read Full Review
30
The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
Sadly, the film's creaky, sometimes painful dialogue makes it all too easy to believe that it was genuinely co-written by a small child.
Read Full Review
30
Time Richard Corliss
Pretty lame. Sharkboy has an especially frantic, amateur atmosphere, with a mostly maladroit cast.
Read Full Review
30
TV Guide Angel Cohn
The concept is cute and the movie starts out well, but it devolves into a muddled, overstuffed mess that wears out its welcome around the time the novelty of 3-D effects wears off.
Read Full Review
25
Boston Globe Ty Burr
One could forgive a budget this threadbare, performances this amateurish, a plot this tortuous if the 3-D effects passed the cool test. Sadly, watching ''Adventures" is an experience akin to seeing the world through dung-colored glasses.
Read Full Review
25
San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein
Sharkboy relies almost entirely on 3-D for its kicks. The novelty, however, quickly wears thin with the thinnest of stories to project.
Read Full Review
20
Washington Post Ann Hornaday
Visually undistinguished, narratively inert, populated by a cast of charmless child actors, "Sharkboy and Lavagirl," with any luck will fade quickly from theaters, memories and Rodriguez's own Things to Do Today list.
Read Full Review
20
Empire Simon Braund
A bizarre, hopelessly muddled fantasy that's likely to induce utter bewilderment in its target audience.
Read Full Review
10
Washington Post Desson Thomson
The result is astoundingly boring and, frankly, tedious to sit through.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 4.8 (out of 10) based on 107 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Louis H. gave it a0:
This movie was absolutely HORRIBLE!!! The jokes are lame, the story is bad, and the animation is even worse! Like the spykids series, it just got worse and worse as the movie went on. DO NOT see it, you'll ruin your eyes!

R D. gave it an8:
Very cheesy but ultiamtely entertaining. Not so bad as some might rate it. The visuals are great.

Ryan K. gave it a10:
It's the bestest and my faverite film!

Elizabeth R. gave it a10:
I love this movie. I could keep watching it over and over again. I loved everything about this movie.

Jeff M. gave it a1:
Bad. Painful. Horrible. Then the musical number started. If my kid didn't like it so much, I would run the disc over with my car.

Michael F. gave it a3:
i thought 3-d would be an intresting movie choice. baaaaaad idea. many effects can easily be considered unrealistic and the plotline is just too horrible. non-recommendation, but i've seen worse.

Zaria B. gave it a10:
They are the best. They are so fun. I wish I could go to the park with them. I wish Lava Girl could have Lava Girl Ice Cream. I wish Shark Boy could have a Sushi Ice Cream. I wish Lava Girl could come to my house for a sleep over. I wish Lava Girl could eat toast with me. Shark Boy and Lava Girl please come to my house. I love you Zaria 4 years old.

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