What can only be described as an incredibly fun film for kids and a wild acid trip for adults, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, directed by Paul Tibbitt, is almost everything I could have ever wanted from a SpongeBob movie.
When the highly coveted secret formula for the Krabby Patty is stolen, Plankton is immediately blamed for the theft. While SpongeBob knows the truth that Plankton is innocent, Bikini Bottom plunges into chaos with doomsday mobs being led by Mr. Krabs in an effort to find the formula and punish Plankton for his crime. While usually adversaries, SpongeBob and Plankton must team up and travel through time, utilizing crazy super powers, in an attempt to retrieve the formula, which was really stolen by the evil pirate and narrator of the story, Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas).
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is a blast to watch. While there are plenty of incredibly cheesy jokes made for kids, it’s hard for adults to resist laughing at them because of how self-aware the film is and how well the jokes are set up. The film concept is also a great because the movie is part time-travel road trip, part superhero movie and a post-apocalyptic flick, seriously. Hell, even the 3D won me over because we rarely see 2D animation converted into the medium, it’s usually CGI characters so it actually felt fresh watching the medium be brought into a new dimension. And I can’t forget the music. N.E.R.D. reunited and contributed some new tunes that complimented the film perfectly.
In my intro, I used the phrase “wild acid trip” to describe this movie and that’s not a joke. There are scenes in this movie that feel like they could belong in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and come close to the craziness of Ren and Stimpy, though not nearly as raunchy and much more innocent. My buddy turned to me and said, if I had smoked some weed before I came here this would probably be one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen. From time travelling sequences that take you out of any realm of normalcy, to characters like a British dolphin that watches over the universe and shoots laser beams, you’ll find that there are quite a lot of random surprises throughout the film. It’s actually this ridiculous nature of film, and SpongeBob in general, that makes the movie so much fun to watch
I also have to give props to the film for focusing on teamwork as the central theme. It may have been drilled and beaten into our heads over and over, but what better way to teach kids about teamwork than by having SpongeBob and Co team up with their enemy, Plankton. It’s this message that really makes the film differ from the likes of Pixar or something like The Lego Movie, it’s a kids film made for kids, though there are a couple of jokes thrown in for the adults.
My only real complaint about the film is that the “out of water” part only occurs in the last 20 minutes or so. I loved the trailer for the film and think the way all the characters were animated out of water looked really cool and different for the cartoon to CG transition. The trailer sells you on a lot of the best bits that occur out of water and it was such a shame to see that animation and the exploration out of water occur only at the end. Part of me thinks that if the majority of the movie was out of water I would have grown tired of all the interaction with humans, but part of me also wishes that I had the opportunity to see them explore the human world more. Patrick’s reactions alone would have been worth it.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water isn’t an animated movie that all adults will like, but it is a movie made for families and especially those with kids who love SpongeBob. I grew up with the character and it’s hard for me to resist the charm and insanity that this film put on display. In the end, what makes The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water work so well comes down to the characters we know and love. The film utilizes each character in a slightly different way while also allowing them to retain the characteristics that we love about them. If you’re a fan, you should definitely find a way to see this film, either with your friends or find a kid to tag along with.
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