This is the first in a series of No Shame Movie Reviews. For reasons I won’t speculate and rant about now, we have been told that only some movies are worth enjoying. Only artsy movies with a meaningful and/or ambiguous message, perhaps. To that, I say phooey. I say that you should be able to watch and enjoy any movie you want – from low-budget children’s movies to dramas about the hopelessly romantic. If you enjoy them, then why the heck should you not be able to watch them without shame?
It’s the movie that made a generation fall in love with Taylor Lautner—long before his fame (and abs!) of Twilight. Yes, I’m talking about The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
In case you have forgotten since 2005, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl tells of a young boy named Max (Cayden Boyd) who loves nothing better than to dream. And dream he does, creating a world where he has two best friends, two great superheroes to spend his time with: Sharkboy and Lavagirl (Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dooley).
Sharkboy and Lavagirl is far from simple mindless drivel. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it speaks to quite a few real-life, grown-up, important themes. It most clearly explores the importance of dreams, of clinging to imagination instead of being forced to live in a dreadfully dull reality. It looks at the need for kids to gain independence from their parents, but also the importance of parental love. Sharkboy and Lavagirl themselves can be seen as surrogate parents who care for Max when he needs it most. They are willing to sacrifice themselves to save him, each other, and their whole world.
Sharkboy and Lavagirl is about a time in your life when you’re not quite sure who you are. Are you a child? Becoming an adult? Where do you come from and what do you want to be when you grow up? This is shown through Sharkboy searching for his father, Lavagirl trying to learn if she is anything more than sheer destruction, even Max’s father trying to be a writer instead of following his wife’s urgings to “get a real job.” It also shows the role teachers can have in all this—either as the evil Mr. Electric (George Lopez) bringing darkness to a world he is supposed to illuminate, or as the helpful robot Tobor (also George Lopez) providing the needed encouragement and advice.
Sharkboy and Lavagirl speaks to an aspect of life that so many of us can relate to. Max escapes the embarrassment and frustration of his everyday life through imagination. He morphs the world around him into the world he wishes it was. Who among us can say that they don’t relate to this, that they have never fantasized about the way things would, could, should be? This film is just that: wish fulfillment at its most literal.
I mean, yes. There are plot holes. There’s some weird animation and a lot of bad green screen. The acting isn’t exactly “Oscar-worthy.” But I say that all that doesn’t really matter in a movie like this. The very point of this film is that it isn’t supposed to be realistic. It’s chaotic and confusing and full of whimsy. It’s a childhood dream, plain and simple. Just like it’s supposed to be.
Also, it has a ridiculous number of puns. And I love puns.
And there we have it. Just a few of the reasons that you should not be ashamed to watch and enjoy The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. If you have any ideas for a movie that you want me to review, then leave it in a comment below! Bad, fun, silly, adorable, enjoyable, romantic, anything that you shouldn’t be ashamed to watch and love! (Bonus cookies if it’s also on Netflix.)
Image Credit: J-14, IMDB, Netflix