Product: Spongebob Squarepants: Movie
Rating: 4.0
Absorbing adventure
The controversy over SpongeBob's sexual orientation has been quite absorbing but nowhere near as involving as this very funny movie based on the popular TV series on Nickelodeon. Just in case you've been living under a rock for the last five years, SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs and all the residents of Bikini Bottom have become the most hip (and funny) half hour this side of "The Simpsons". More importantly, it's a program that almost all family members can watch without becoming offended (well, except for those folks wondering about SpongeBob's sexuality). It's a fun way to spend an hour and a half with the kids. After losing a treasured promotion to manage the Krusty Krab 2 restaurant because he's just a kid, SpongeBob is the only person who can stop Plankton from taking over Bikini Bottom. Plankton resorts to Plan Z (having used every other plan in the alphabet) to frame Mr. Krabs for the theft of King Neptune's crown. The diminutive Plankton hopes to discover the secret to the Krabby Patty and ultimately rule the undersea world! Meanwhile, Spongebob and his dim witted friend Patrick must travel to the dreaded Shell City to recover the King's crown and stop Plankton before it's too late.Featuring a marvelous cast of guest voices including Jeffrey Tambor ("Arrested Development"), Scarlet Johansson ("Lost in Translation"), Clancy Brown ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Alec Baldwin and, of all people, David Hasselhoff, the film may lack the sparkle of the best episodes of the series but it more than makes up for this shortcoming with a number of witty gags. Kids will enjoy the antics of SpongeBob and Patrick while adult males will empathize King Neptune's attempts to hide his bald spot with his crown (he's desperate enough to resort to Hair in a Can at one point although that doesn't quite work out as planned) and envy David Hasselhoff as he uses his pecs to launch the duo back into the sea. There's also a serious message as Mindy the King's daughter encourages SpongeBob and Patrick to be kids and be OK with it.Featuring a great transfer with bright and vivid colors, Bikini Bottom has never looked so, well, animated. A very sharp transfer with few digital artifacts to distract viewers from the absurd images, "Spongebob" looks better than any sponge has a right to. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround mix is used to good and sometimes very comic effect.The 20 minute animatic segment gives viewers a peak into all the preparation work that went into producing the movie. Director Hillenburg's comments provide interesting and sometimes funny insights into the challenge of producing a movie much less a TV series as funny as this. The behind-the-scenes featurette is both charming and quite funny with a glimpse into everything from creating the absurd story at the heart of this film to the hilarious recording sessions featuring the voice cast. There's also a featurette The "THQ" game demo is actually quite fun but doesn't really provide that much of a taste as to what the game could do. The Case of Sponge "Bob" features Jean-Michel Cousteau in a tongue-in-cheek short documentary. We see an informative and fun discussion of real sponges with undersea footage narrated by Cousteau with writer/director Hillenburg. "Saving the Surf" features Chad Nelsen, Matt McClain and Steve Pezman founders of the Surfrider Foundation discussing the importance of keeping our environment clean and the impact of our pollution on the ocean and our beaches. The teaser trailer for "Submarine" features footage of "Das Boot", "U571" and "The Hunt for Red October" intercut with footage created for the cartoon trailer for "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie". There's also previews for other Paramount family friendly titles as well.A funny visit with the denizens of the deep, "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" will keep you and the kids entertained. The film doesn't pander to kids and has just the right level of slapstick humor to keep adults entertained as well. Although it does have a serious message at its core, the film is a lot of fun.