The Adventures of SharkBoy & LavaGirl in 3-D Movie Review

As if to make up for the ultraviolence in his "SinCity," director Robert Rodriguez bringsout his second film of the year this week -- the family-friendly adventure"The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl."

In this film, a young boy named Max (Cayden Boyd) dreamsthat he meets two child superheroes, SharkBoy (Taylor Lautner) and LavaGirl(Taylor Dooley). Max is unable to convince anyone that they actually existuntil they show up in his classroom and whisk him away to Planet Drool,where only he can help save the day.

As in his "SpyKids 3," Rodriguez presents a good portionof the action in 3-D, and audience members are asked to don or remove theirglasses at crucial points. Rodriguez is nothing if not enthusiastic, andhe packs his film with dozens of jokes and ideas, no matter how silly.But he's a long way off from the energy of the original "SpyKids," and the difference lies betweenthe definitions of "childlike" and "childish."

His own children are old enough now to help him with hisstorytelling duties, and Rodriguez is so charmed by parenthood that hecan no longer edit out the stuff that doesn't work. Great chunks of "SharkBoyand LavaGirl" simply embarrass with their infantile thought patternsand their anxious attempt to appeal to young viewers. Moreover, the filmmakerhas developed a slightly disturbing penchant for close-ups on LavaGirland her dazzling Denise Richards-like smile.

Several adults also appear in the film with significantlyless to do: David Arquette and Kristin Davis ("Sex and the City")as Max's parents and George Lopez in a dual role as Max's teacher and thedigitally enhanced bad guy Mr. Electric.