Film Review – The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
3 min read
As a reviewer, it’s my duty to inform people on whether a movie is inherently good or bad. Now this is of course just my opinion and you can do whatever you please, but it must be said that this movie isn’t actually terrible. I’m not a fan of SpongeBob Squarepants in any way shape or form, and yet I was surprised when the giggles and sometimes laughs were actually coming from me and not the masses of 3-8yrs old in attendance. Fans of the show will surely get a kick from the movie, but even better if you’re not a fan of the movie still watch it, as there are many ‘adult’ jokes that are in place to keep even the most mature of minds entertained.
Our cast of crazy sea creatures are still at their dim witted best, with Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) yet again trying to steal the secret Krabbi Patty formula from Spongebob (Tom Kenny), Squidward (Roger Bumpass) and Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown). But shock horror they all discover the formula has gone missing, and Bikini Bottom descends into chaos in mere seconds. Of course everyone blames Plankton, and thus Spongebob and he search to discover the truth. The culprit? The pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) who uses it for his own success. Together with his hapless sidekick Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) former land creature Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence), Squidward, Mr Krabs and Plankton, SpongeBob surfaces to take on Burger Beard and take back the Krabi Patty formula and restore peace and order to Bikini Bottom.
Although most of the film still takes place in Bikini Bottom and is the graphics we’re accustomed to from the series, once our characters surface the CGI is on a whole other level. All the live action characters, Banderas in particular, react well to things that (most) of us know aren’t really there, and if it wasn’t for science one would be forgiven for thinking SpongeBob and Co. are real living things that have surfaced from the depths of the ocean. The difference in graphics is telling, and it would have been welcome for there to have been more CGI elements in the film, as opposed to it being somewhat of a sparing novelty that wears off all too soon. Plus the added element of the main cast gaining super powers added to the CGI and special effects, which was also an added bonus in terms of design but added a new level to the entertainment value of the movie.
The film takes wacky to a whole other stratosphere, but instead of being grating and tittering on the point of annoyance, the humour was actually funny and entertaining. Most of the time there were slapstick jokes that the target audience of youngsters would appreciate and find hilarious, but there were some adult, very Meta jokes thrown in there for us big kids. As a fan of Squidward and basically all that he represents, his particular brand of humour was the most appealing for me, and while most jokes came at his expense, they wouldn’t be funny if it weren’t for his reaction, and sometimes lack of one, that actually took the joke from a smile to a full blown giggle. And it was a smart move to give our heroes super powers, using the success of The Avengers in particular and putting a spin on the genre that created a new element not yet scene in the previous film or the television series.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s okay, no film is ever truly liked from all living people. But rest assured it is actually a funny movie, and while some people may be avid haters of the series and everything else SpongeBob related, this may not grate on your nerves as much as you think and is actually a pleasantly enjoyable experience.
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