by HOPE KIM
Do you like sharks? Do you like lava? More importantly, do you like dreams, the creation and destruction of all living things, and cinema at its finest? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you will love the hit 2005 film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.
While this movie is often left out of discussions about the film canon, it remains one of the greatest works of our time. Sharkboy and Lavagirl revolutionized the CGI industry with stellar graphics and showed what CGI is really capable of. Not only does this incredible film entertain, but it also inspires.
Sharkboy and Lavagirl teaches the importance of dreams and creativity. The main character, Max (Cayden Boyd), is a 10-year-old boy with an imagination so powerful that he creates a whole planet on which all of his dreams come true. Max’s classmates, parents and teachers all discourage his dreams and do not believe in his “imaginary” friends, Sharkboy and Lavagirl. However, in the end, Max’s imagination saves the day.
If you haven’t seen the movie, you may be wondering…what is a “sharkboy”? What is a “lavagirl”? Well, Sharkboy (Taylor Lauter) is a human raised by sharks after losing his marine biologist father in a deadly hurricane. Lavagirl (Taylor Douley) is a girl … who is also lava.
This could seem like an unlikely pair—fire and water–but Sharkboy and Lavagirl overcome their differences and become an iconic superhero duo.
For years, I thought I imagined Sharkboy and Lavagirl because of its fever-dream-like nature, but it is very much real, and it made me into the person I am today. Lavagirl taught me selflessness and power, as she sacrifices herself to save her friends. Sharkboy taught me the importance of bravery and speed when running. Finally, Max showed me that dreams and imagination can take you far … if you’re in a movie.
Some say this movie was irrelevant and forgettable; others–myself included–believe it altered the course of film history forever. Sharkboy himself (probably) inspired Steven Spielberg’s cult classic Jaws, after all.
If you haven’t seen Sharkboy and Lavagirl, I highly recommend you watch it as soon as possible at this very moment. Netflix no longer streams the original, but believe me, it’s worth the digital or physical purchase.
The Mainsheet 