Sharkboy and Lavagirl, An Unusual Classic
The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl takes viewers on an unpredictable ride in the grand tradition of creative films such as Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which is set in a bizarre world, and films such as The Never-ending Story, in which mistreatment by bullies sends the victim into a dream world where he can be a hero. The juxtaposition of fantasy and reality in the film is demands your full attention.
The action centers around ten year old Max. A dreamer who is often made fun of at school, he creates his own friends from his vast imagination. Shark Boy and Lava Girl are super heroes from Planet Drool who come exploding into Max’s school room one day looking for his help in saving their planet from encroaching darkness. As their world was created in Max’s lively imagination, the super heroes advise him that he is the only one who can save it.
Their adventures together are truly out of the ordinary by any stretch of the imagination. The lines between fantasy and reality blur as the bad guys on Planet Drool are often real life foes of Max altered into strange antagonists. For instance, his actual Earth teacher, Mr. Electricidad, becomes the menacing Mr. Electric, whose nasty animated power cords threaten the heroes. By the climax of the movie, the action has returned to Earth.
The surreal quality of Planet Drool sounds like the game Candy Land meshed with Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. The characters ride in a banana-split boat on the “Stream of Consciousness”, take the uncontrollable Train of Thought to the Land of Milk and Cookies, and get a Crystal Heart from an Ice Princess in the Land of Ice. Revealingly, the screenwriter, Robert Rodriguez, got considerable amount help with the plot from his children. One, seven-year-old Racer, was actually given screen credit!
While the film may not have as much appeal for grown-ups as it does for children, it is still an interesting story. The story of a victim winning over a bully is always a favorite plot with youngsters.
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