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BY MATTIAS FREY
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Robert Rodriguez’s new kiddie flick is a seven-year-old’s fantasy. No, really. Rodriguez and his son wrote the film, basing it on junior’s dreams. The story gets going in a Texas suburb, where sensitive Max (Cayden Boyd) lives with his bohemian father (David Arquette) and his pragmatic mom (Kristin Davis), who spend most of their time quarreling. Max is terrorized by a bully and misunderstood by his teacher (George Lopez) until he plunges into an allegorical 3-D world. There, Sharkboy and Lavagirl need his help to free the planet’s children from a villain (Lopez again) bent on keeping them from dreaming. The trio progress by the book through various perils and a thousand fatuous dream metaphors until the plot points are all miraculously resolved in the real world. Technology can sometimes distract you from a dull story, but not here: the CGI and 3-D effects are as uncreative as the rest of the film. Judging from Papa Rodriguez’s bland cinematic interpretation, I would have preferred the tyke’s nightmares. (94 minutes) At the Flagship, Providence Place 16, and Showcase cinemas.
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