I rarely watch 3-D movies. Reason one is that my hometown barely brings in 3-D movies, and there was one point in time when our local movie theatre stopped showing 3-D movies in general. The other reason is that I wear prescription glasses for near-sightedness. I could wear contacts, but I have never had them for fear of putting them on wrong.
Thankfully, back when 3-D movies were rising in the film industry, my local movie theatre brought in a couple of 3-D movies, one of them being the very first 3-D movie I had ever seen –
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.
A Bit of 'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D' Synopsis
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl is about a young boy named Max who gets bullied by his classmates and therefore escapes to Planet Drool, a world conjured up by Max and is the home of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, superheroes who live in this world.
One day, the world that only seemed to be in his imagination seemed to have comes to life when Max gets visited by the pair. They urgently ask him for his help in saving their planet, and Max agrees. Soon, Max is seen battling enemies and saving the princess, and eventually, his own world.
'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D' Insights
At the film’s release in 2005, I was 10 years old.
The adventurous children’s superhero tale became the highlight of my year and continued to receive my praise for the rest of my pre-teen years.
The film’s whimsical imagery of Planet Drool brought vivid colors into my adolescent heart. Though the initial visionary of the planet may have looked like it could do for some renovation, the group’s journey through the Stream of Consciousness to the Sea of Confusion; and even having a ride on the Train of Thought brought so much awe and excitement into my 10-year-old mind.
I craved to create a world quite like Max’s and believe in it so much that it comes to life as well.
This movie meant everything to my 10-year-old self, especially when, looking back now, I find my younger self relating to Max in ways I did not comprehend back then. We were both essentially children who felt like we did not fit in with the crowd and our primary place of escape was in our imagination where we were able to conjure up people, places, and things that make us feel seen, heard, and loved.
We both craved to have a place where we can be our true selves and be surrounded by people who love and accept us for who we are.
Similar to Max, I long for the friendship that he found with Sharkboy and Lavagirl. All three come from completely different backgrounds, yet each one wholly accepted one another and would risk their lives for each other.
As fun, as it was to be in the Stream of Consciousness, I commend the story writers for also touching on the reality of some dreams when the trio visited the Dream Graveyard and Max saw an unfinished robot of his named Tobor. Not to mention Lavagirl’s sacrifice to save Sharkboy by swimming to the bottom of the pond after Sharkboy got shocked by electric eels, his main weakness.
As mentioned, 3-D movies were rare to watch in my hometown. This was my literal first 3-D movie ever, and as a 10-year-old, my heart would race with enthusiasm whenever sparks would fly out from the screen or Mr. Electric’s plug hounds would try to reach for me or almost being punched by Sharkboy’s fist during his mini dance choreography. The 3-D feature made Max’s imagination as real to me as it was to him in the film.
To the adults who have seen this film, and as an adult now myself, the film’s storyline may be cheesy and lacking depth, but considering this is a story conjured up by a 7-year-old and is targeted towards pre-teens, the storyline was as exciting and meaningful as it could be for the blossoming minds.
The narrative focused on the importance of dreams and believing in oneself, and that became a part of who I was growing up.
After all, Max once said…
“Dream a better dream and work to make it real.”
PS, Having Taylor Lautner as Sharkboy was the best casting decision to ever been made as he became my very first crush.
Let's Chat!
What was the first 3-D movie you have ever watched? What did you think of it?
