The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is the second attempt at bringing the wildly popular character to screen. There was some attempt at giving the first movie a semblance of plot, something that would make it feel more like a traditional movie. This sequel pretty much abandons that pretense, and just piles on the silliness. It really just an expansion of the zany energy of the TV show, and while there are problems inherent to this approach, it does produce a rather unique experience that fans of the show will likely enjoy.
Contrary to what the title and the trailer would have you believe, the movie is still mostly set underwater, and the first two acts are animated in the 2D style of the show. The action kicks off with Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) making another attempt at stealing the Krabby Patty formula. He comes close to succeeding, but the formula just suddenly disappears. With the formula gone, and no Krabby Patties left in all of Bikini Bottom, the whole town sinks into chaos. Spongebob (Tom Kenny) convinces Plankton to work with him in order to find the secret formula and save the town.
None of it really makes any sense, but that’s the joy of it. Spongebob Squarepants has never really cared much for intricate plotting. Like the TV show, this movie is basically an assault on sense, layering on the absurdity and frivolity until nothing is left. This scattershot approach doesn’t work as well as a 92-minute feature as it does in 11-minute bursts, but the film just powers through with joke after joke. It never lets up, and when something doesn’t quite work, the film just gets on to the next thing.
Parents looking for profound lessons or any sort of moral content will likely be disappointed. There is a shade of a theme about working together, but the film isn’t taking it very seriously. They devote an entire song to the idea of teamwork, but it doesn’t really matter much in the end. The movie is committed to being really silly, and every other narrative concern falls to the wayside. To its credit, the film pairs all this silliness with excellent animation. The 2D parts are a clear upgrade from the animation on the TV show. And the live action parts are seamlessly blended with the 3D animation.
The voice cast is as good as it’s always been. At this point, Tom Kenny is clearly one of the best voice talents working today. His Spongebob voice is iconic, the character conveying an absurd goodness of heart that transcends the transgressive nature of the show’s material. On the live action side, Antonio Banderas is brilliant as Burger Beard the Pirate. Banderas is the kind of actor who doesn’t feel out of place alongside cartoons. He plays up the more outsized aspects of his personality, and produces a character that may as well be animated.
It doesn’t seem likely that The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water will win over people who aren’t already fans of the character. It is just far too silly, and offers little in the way of introduction to the general sensibilities of the property. But the movie perfect for those already inured to the show’s particular brand of weirdness. The film is nonstop strangeness masquerading as children’s entertainment, an almost psychedelic barrage of puns and non sequitur humor. It is a film where it makes complete sense for a sentient dolphin to suddenly start a rap battle against a bunch of seagulls. It all sounds stupid, but it works in context.
My Rating:
