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[tab title="Movie Review"]
Planet Drool, here we come . . . again! This is what happens when you go in expecting worse. You are constantly surprised.
Max (Cayden Boyd) has had an incredible summer. He’s made new friends and is super stoked to tell all his friends at school about them. The problem is their names: Sharkboy (Taylor Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley) and his friends at school are, you guessed it, all laughing at him when he presents their adventures over the summer to them.
Even his teacher (George Lopez) is worried about Max’s endlessly dreaming. The problem is home. His parents (Kristin Davis and David Arquette) are splitting up and Max, in order to deal with the family discord, has ramped up the daydreaming, but when - thanks to the arrival of a super-storm - the duo shows up at school one day and whisks him away on an adventure of a lifetime.
Based on Max’s dreams, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl offers Max the chance to save Planet Drool from the impending darkness which is hanging over all of the planet. Not everyone is happy on this planet. Mr. Electric (Lopez) and his endless fun coasters are only bringing misery to Planet Drool and he, in his mission to stay alive and not be destroyed by dreams, is all about dragging “fun” straight into the ground.
Directed by El Mariachi's Robert Rodriguez and co-written by Marcel Rodriguez (his son), many critics absolutely assassinated this movie when it was originally released. The concept of a child’s imagination coming to life via anaglyph 3-D technology and splashed onto movie screens just didn’t work for many. Sure, sure, the acting isn’t the greatest and neither were the 3-D effects (the main selling point), but it also just never clicked with a whole lot of people.
But that was then . . . and the 15 years since its debut have been awfully kind to this highly imaginative feature. Borrowing more than its fair share from The Wizard of Oz, this film is foraging a path toward reconsideration now that the 3-D effects have been removed and the story - about a boy and his dreams - can take center stage.
Because now - in 2020 - The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl gets a new lease on life . . . minus the 3-D effects and, honestly, the results are dramtically better. That's right, borrowing from this movie, we get to dream a better dream with this release. In fact, this version might just be your preferred version to watch - especially if you have kids in the house. Unfortunately, the kids’ acting is still below average - except for Dooley - but, as this is an adventure for kids, you have to keep the target audience in mind and my own son was enthralled through the 90-minute spectacle.
The land of Milk and Cookies awaits all who are brave enough to make the jump. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (minus the 3-D) is now on blu-ray thanks to Paramount Pictures because sometimes the most amazing superheroes are the ones inside your dreams.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - September 22, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
From Robert Rodriguez, the hit-making director of SPY KIDS, comes a fun family adventure starring Taylor Lautner (Twilight) in his first lead role alongside Hollywood favorites David Arquette, Kristin Davis and George Lopez. Everyone always knew that Max had a wild imagination . . . but no one believed that his wildest creations – a boy raised by watchful great white sharks and a girl with the force of a volcano – were real! Now, these two pint-sized action heroes will show Max that even an ordinary kid has what it takes to be extraordinary!
Video:
The AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 never suffers in bright, bright colors and ripe visuals. If you aren’t a fan of the anaglyph technology, then you will find it hard to get through this movie. But those visuals are nonstop and full of life, so you are missing out on what this new transfer has to offer. Black levels are strong throughout and the colors are glowing with intensity and great realism. There really isn’t a flaw in this presentation from Paramount.
Audio:
The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is absolutely on fire throughout the feature. Regardless of the many different landscapes and atmospheres of Planet Drool, this mix handles it with style. All speakers are lit with GREAT sounds.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- Ported over from the original release is the cool commentary from Robert Rodriguez.
Special Features:
Nothing new here - except for the Digital Copy - but all supplementals are fun.
- Creating Sharkboy and Lavagirl with Racer Max
- Commentary from Robert Rodriguez
- Digital Copy
Blu-ray Rating:
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and some rude humor.
Runtime: 94 mins
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Writer: Robert Rodriguez, Marcel Rodriguez
Cast: Cayden Boyd, George Lopez, Kristin Davis
Genre: Adventure | Family
Tagline: Everything that is... or was... began as a dream.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Thanks for saving me, Sharkboy."
Theatrical Distributor: Dimension Films
Official Site: https://www.miramax.com/movie/the-adventures-of-sharkboy-and-lavagirl/
Release Date: June 10, 2005
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: September 22, 2020.
Synopsis: A young boy is recruited by his imaginary friends Sharkboy and Lavagirl to help save their planet.
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[tab title="Art"]
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