The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Review

"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" reviews

Movie

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-11-08 23:26:48

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Fans of the Nickelodeon cult cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants rejoice! Keeping to the series' oddball sensibilities, the big-screen version sees the happy-go-lucky deep-sea sponge embark on a journey of a lifetime with his sidekick starfish friend Patrick.

Story

SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg understands that to turn what is, in essence, a series of 10-minute segments into a 90-minute feature, it's necessary to keep things very simple. With that, he's envisioned a sort of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure for SpongeBob, in which the hapless hero sets out on a quest to find the balding King Neptune's treasured crown. We all know it's been stolen by that tiny, green, megalomaniacal, one-eyed sea creature known as Plankton--who sold it and has framed SpongeBob's boss, Mr. Krab, with the crime so he can be rid of him and rule the world--but the rest of Bikini Bottom doesn't, including King Neptune, who wants to turn Mr. Krab into an appetizer. Now, even though he has just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob still believes his boss is innocent and convinces the king to spare Mr. Krab's life long enough to allow SpongeBob to go retrieve the crown. Along with his best pal Patrick, SpongeBob embarks on the treacherous mission, battling any number of obstacles in order to save Mr. Krab's life, restore order in Bikini Bottom, and prove once and for all he can be a real man…wait, a grown up…er, a big bad sponge? Yeah, something like that.

Acting

The whole gang is here, including standup comic Tom Kenny, who provides the high, nasal voice of SpongeBob; Bill Fagerbakke (TV's Coach) who voices the dopey but lovable Patrick; and the booming, I'm-master-of-the-universe voice of Mr. Lawrence as the evil Plankton. There are also a few celebrity voices thrown in for good measure, including Arrested Development's Jeffrey Tambor as the vain and insecure King Neptune; Scarlett Johansson as his kind and patient daughter, Mindy (who looks a little like Velma from the Scooby-Doo series); and Alec Baldwin as a malevolent hit man. But the best cameo of all belongs to David Hasselhoff, appearing as himself--in Baywatch mode, of course. Hasselhoff helps SpongeBob and Patrick, who find themselves in the ''real'' world, get back to Bikini Bottom safely and looks like he's having a ball poking a little fun at himself--as well he should.

Direction

Hillenburg, a former marine science teacher, created SpongeBob after he decided he wanted to do a sea cartoon and thought a square sponge wearing shorts who lives in a pineapple house in a world of real sea animals, was just the ticket. Sure, we get why the kids love it. The cartoon is madcap, slapsticky, gross-out fun, with SpongeBob and Patrick just big ol' kids themselves, living in an undersea community where eating Krabby Patties, showing your underwear and blowing bubbles are the bomb. It's the parents you gotta wonder about--the ones who say they are only watching it because their kids do but who secretly look forward to SpongeBob SquarePants episodes so they, too, can laugh their asses off. ''It's about keeping your kid-nature in life and not totally becoming a curmudgeon,'' Hillenburg explains--but it's more than that. SpongeBob's humor is oftentimes aimed completely at the adults, following the habits of some stellar predecessors such as the old Looney Tunes shorts and even more recently, Ren and Stimpy. Examples: SpongeBob and Patrick laughing manically for five minutes longer than they should; the two of them getting totally blasted after eating too many ice cream sundaes and then waking up the next morning in a puddle of their own sick; and confused side glances at the camera from some scary-looking sea monsters, who stop short from eating SpongeBob and Patrick after the two start singing about being real men, er, well, you know what I mean. Funny, funny stuff.

Bottom Line

If you're a kid with a great sense of humor or an adult who has a seriously disturbed affinity for talking sink utensils, then The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie will totally tickle your fancy.

Copyright © CinemaSource 2006.

Movie

THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-25 21:09:36

Provider

MRIB

Review

The deep sea has provided film fans with some of the best animated stories in recent years: Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo and, to a lesser extent, Shark Tale have all delighted audiences. Well, Spongebob Squarepants, as the TV show's many viewers will know, visits the sillier side of the ocean. Nautical nonsense if you will but, for the most part, wet and wonderful.

SpongeBob - a sea sponge who wears square pants, naturally - and his best mate, Patrick the starfish, are on a quest to recover King Neptune's stolen crown, thus thwarting the mind-controlling Plankton's plans to take over Bikini Bottom, putting his boss Mr. Krabs out of business in the process.

The story is given added poignance by the many sequences that have upset the Christian right-wingers in the US, a taste of the so-called culture wars currently consuming that divided country. One example is Patrick prancing around in women's high heels and stockings (yep, a non-stereotypical CARTOON male starfish momentarily cross-dressing has got their gander up!). The power of rock 'n' roll (the soundtrack features top US alt-rock acts) also plays a significant part in the story.

Most kids will find the film superbly wacky with some great cartoon violence and borderline naughty script while adults might appreciate vocal contributions from the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Alec Baldwin plus a live action appearance by David Hasselhoff.

While we're being juvenile it's worth pointing out that the relief name of the actor who voices Squidward Tentacles is Rodger Bumpass.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.