The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D film review

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THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL IN 3-D

Robert Rodriguez, the director of Sharkboy And Lavagirl - to give it its abbreviated title - was considered a bit of a wunderkind when he directed the much-lauded El Mariachi at the tender age of 23, but he has nothing on his son. Racer Rodriguez (what kind of name is that, anyway?) is assigned a 'Story By' credit on S&L - to abbreviate it further - at the embryonic age of seven. At this rate, the next Rodriguez generation will be running a studio while still in nappies.

It's not hard to believe that S&L stems from the imagination of a young boy. It's the story of Max (Cayden Boyd), a troubled kid who immerses himself in elaborate dreams to escape a life filled with feuding parents, school bullies and an unsympathetic teacher. If Max has more than a hint of Racer in him, then young Rodriguez will soon be swapping the schoolyard for the shrink's couch. Hardly surprising given the name he was lumbered with.

As so often happens once other writers start tampering with someone's original idea, things goes awry. In this case Racer only has his dad to blame. Adding some substance and structure is one thing, but S&L gets bogged down in cumbersome ideology and symbolism. In his search for meaning and understanding, young Max struggles to interpret the significance of his dreams. He keeps a journal in which he records all his most vivid dreams. It's something that neither his mother (Kristin Davis) or teacher (George Lopez) encourage, both preferring that he grow up and deal with reality.

Max's most consuming dream involves two juvenile superheroes. Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) was raised amongst the aquatic predators and has assumed some of their characteristics while the pink-haired Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley) shoots lava from her hands. When Max tells his classmates of his adventure with his strange friends who he considers real, they mock him. But when his two imaginary creations show up and whisk him away to Planet Drool, Max finds himself caught in a fantastical world, unsure if it's a dream or reality. Faced with Drool's impending destruction, Max, with the aid of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, has to figure a way out.

As the title indicates, the film is in 3-D. The technology is still unconvincing, especially as it's still viewed through flimsy glasses. The result is that the wondrous Planet Drool, with its land of milk and cookies, is reduced to a muted blur, a description that could also be aimed at the film.

Kevin Murphy