“Sponge Out of Water” is a surprising success. The new animated movie by Nickelodeon Studios features everyone’s favorite yellow sponge. Paul Tibbit skillfully adapts Bikini Bottom from 20-minute episodes to a 93-minute feature on the big screen. This is an incredible feat considering the shallow nature of many classic episodes.
True to form, Spongebob grabs viewers’ attention immediately. Antonio Banderas’ opening scene sets the plot before literally diving in. At this point, the stage is set for an epic adventure. Bikini Bottom residents find themselves on a quest to find the missing recipe for the mythic Krabby Patty.
Shockingly, the movie manages to hold viewers’ attention throughout as Spongebob and his unlikely team travel through time, avoid a post-apocalyptic mob and reach dry land, as the movie’s name suggests.
The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is a refreshing surprise in the animated scene that is currently saturated by overly-serious plots and characters. The expertly crafted soundtrack works seamlessly throughout to add to Tibbit’s animated masterpiece.
The soundtrack features hot artists including Pharrell Williams and Avril Lavigne. Fans of the television series will be thoroughly pleased by a short song sequence featuring Spongebob and Plankton that sends waves of nostalgia down the spine that are reminiscent of the “good ol’ days”.
The lack of inappropriate humor is also a refreshing break from the current trend in many animated films. Aside from a few cleverly crafted fart jokes, this film avoids any jokes that threaten its “family friendly” label.
My initial skepticism about the film’s quality evaporated throughout the spectacle, but the last five minutes simply blew me away. The movie ends with an unexpected twist that leaves viewers wishing it would never end.
Closer inspection of the movie, however, leaves the viewer with lasting messages of the importance of teamwork, “writing your own story” and giving people second chances.
Plankton an illuminati dolphin, and excellent puns lift this movie from greatness to cinematic legend.
