In Defense of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

Growing up, I’ve watched my fair share of goofy family films that were nonsensical in nature and yet so darn fun to watch. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl was one of those films. Now, this is not a post about praising this film on an objective level as it’s easy to find problems with it. This is more of an appreciation post for what I consider my favorite guilty pleasure.
To start off, the story is the brain child of, well a child. Director Robert Rodriguez’ son, Max, came up with the concept of the film and his father produced a film around it. From the opening scene alone, it’s plain to see that this is a child’s imagination come to life in the form of a film. From the names of the sharks (Goodmilk, Piggy, Egg Batter, and Kraken respectively), to the name of the planet our heroes go to (Planet Drool), to the banana split boat, the list goes on. In Max’s little mind at the time, everything in this film was either funny or cool and what adds to the films charm is how these elements are embraced by the cast.
Speaking off which, it is evidently clear the actors were having a ball while making this movie. They fully commit to their roles and make these characters come alive. Taylor Lautner especially deserves credit for his role as Sharkboy. He’s tough, he’s funny, he’s got the best fight scenes in the flick, Launter ultimately makes the character his own. Also, George Lopez is a blast in this movie and unlike his self-titled stupid sitcom, he’s actually pretty funny here. Cayden Boyd and Taylor Dooley also give memorable performances, especially towards the end wheb the stakes are raise. And then there’s Jacob Davich as Linus. I’m with Nostalgia Critic on this one, this kid just loves being the bad guy. He chews the scenery everytime he’s on screen and I love it.
All in all, I cannot bring myself to hate this film despite its short comings. Yes the script is nonsense, yes the effects look cheap, and yes the dialogue is just silly (“Max, I’m light.” actual dialouge from the film). But you know what? That’s okay. This film is just so much fun that hating it, while reasonable, just isn’t possible for me. Hope this post gave you a new perspective though. Thank you so much for reading and I’ll see you soon ;)