Product: Spongebob Squarepants: Movie
Rating: 5.0
These guys know exactly what they're doing...
The criticisms I've found here seem to mostly be attacking the simple and often stupid humor; the "grown up" jokes; and the lack of any really cinematic scale here. And while these criticisms are mostly pretty legitimate, I think if you're focusing on these you're missing the point. Steve Hillenburg made a stupendously stupid movie because that's exactly what he wanted to do, and that's what Spongebob is all about. The lesson which Spongebob and Patrick come to at the end is the same one presented to the audience. It's okay for Spongebob and Patrick to be kids because that's who they are, and they can't change that with seaweed mustaches. At the same time it's okay for us to be kids along with them and enjoy all of their idiotic antics because that's a part of us as well. If you're just taking your kids, well, I don't think you're approaching the film right. They'll probably enjoy it (though a lot of the humor will evade them), but the simple fact is that the movie is meant to make adults into kids.For Spongebob veterans, I should warn that the film seems to meander a lot more than any of the episodes, inasmuch as the story is for the most part pretty unfocused. The animation is also worth noting, since it seems to be a step BACK from the clean, bright look of the later episodes and instead a return to the milder (and, to me, more charming) look of the earlier ones. Fans of Rocko will be happy to find a sequence very reminiscient of Filburt's bachelor party.In any case, I enjoyed the film immensely. It's really admirable to me what the Spongebob crew has managed to do; and if all you can do is compare it to other animated films, well, you're missing the point. Spongebob is a piece of childhood for those of us who are still children inside.