WesternAnimation SpongeBob is GOOD again.
The 2D and 3D animation is top notch, but that isn't what SpongeBob fans care about, is it? No, we've had good animation for the last few seasons, but that was it. The show sucked, and only just started to get better in terms of humor. This movie kicked it back into overdrive, you know, like how it was supposed to, like Seasons 1-3. One of the best jokes is in the beginning, first where Sandy orders a Krabby Patty with ketchup and mustard, "hold the mayo." Those become battle orders against Plankton. And of course, the de-Flanderized characters: SpongeBob is not annoying, Patrick is funny again, Mr. Krabs is back to being the Cool Old Pirate, and Squidward actually has something nice happen to him at the end. So in all, watch this movie. You will thank me later.
Rating: 4/5
(P.S. If you think that the animation is important, well it's amazing, so don't worry about it looking bad.)
WesternAnimation A flawed, but enjoyable experience.
Like most SpongeBob fans, I was a bit worried when this film was announced. The show has obviously lost it's luster after the first movie, and this looked like the final nail in the coffin for the franchise. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see not only a beautiful-looking film, but a funny one.
A major pro for this film would have to be it's animation. The 2D animation in the underwater scenes is very fluid and clear, and the backgrounds just look amazing. The CGI models for the characters also look really cartoony. Another major pro would have to be the humor. This movie had me laughing a lot more than it had me cringing, with the humor ranging from clever visual gags to references of earlier episodes ("Finland!"). I'm also happy to say that (most) of the characters somewhat have their pre-movie personalities. SpongeBob is a lot more serious and less of an idiot, Squidward's personality honestly never really changed, and Plankton goes back to being a legitimate threat.
That isn't to say that the film isn't without it's faults, though. A major con for this movie would have to be it's messy plot. It keeps jumping all over the place, and some minor arcs are never resolved. Secondly, some characters do retain their post-movie personalities. Patrick is still kind of a clumsy jerk rather than a lovable goof, and while Mr. Krab's greed is toned down, his jerkass personality isn't. Lastly, Plankton gets some character development in this, and it is done surprisingly well, but it's just forgotten about by the end because Status Quo is God. I would've complained about this movie not having enough emotional moments like in the first movie, but these two movies are honestly hard to compare. While this film focused more on the spit-fire gags, the first movie focused on SpongeBob's entire character being tested. These two films just seem really different from eachother and I don't think it's fair to compare them.
Overall, I enjoyed Sponge Out of Water. While it's not as good as the first movie, it kept me laughing and entertained, which is what I should expect from SpongeBob.
WesternAnimation SpongeBob reveiw
OMG, the film was so good!!!
Being a SpongeBob fan since about 2006, and do enjoy Seasons 1-3 more then the recent ones(though I enjoy Seasons 8 and 9), I knew it would be interesting because Steven Hillenburg and a lot of the old staff would be invovled, so I ordered tickets on opening night.
It went way beyond my expectations. I was very happy with the 2D animation, and it really popped out in 3D, and there was also some fun references to the show, like Patrick yelling Finland in the Food fight scene, and Squidward's imperative dance from Culture Shock in the credits. It was pretty nice to see that most of the shows voice talent worked on this film, like as usual, Tom Kenny lent his voice for SpongeBob, Gary, and some background fish. Bubbles was hillarious and one of the highlights of the film.
While the live action/CGI parts could have been longer, the characters out of the water looked pretty accurate to the normal designs, and I liked the superhero part.
Overall, if you love SpongeBob as much as me, you should totally order some tickets and go see it. I highly recommend it, that you won't be dissapointed.
WesternAnimation Not as strong as the first, but entertaining nonetheless.
I just saw this movie tonight. Though I haven't seen an episode in so long, I've been a fan since season 2.
I'd have to say that I was entertained but not as impressed as I was with the first movie. Mostly, the climax of the first film was far better; the supposed Tear Jerking moment wasn't as strong on this one.
The animation is probably the film's best shining point. It is a tremendous improvement yet also a nostalgic reflection of the first movie. About 4/5ths of it was 2D while the last fifth was CGI, which surprisingly enough was quite good for the art style.
As for the humor, it's been a long time since I've laughed at a post-season 4 joke. The writers decided to drop on the toilet humor this time, and I'm glad. Having watched Spongebob since season 2, I also appreciated the references they made to earlier episodes, including the reef blower and Squidward's interpretive dancing.
Though the rap battle was a little superfluous in my opinion, Pharell Williams's song "Squeeze Me" was surprisingly catchy. I'm glad I stayed during the credits to hear it.
So, yeah. Bottom line: good animation, good beginning storyline, good jokes, but bad ending. Nonetheless, it was a creative effort, and I have to commend the studio for the improved animation, and I hope there's gonna be a third movie as well.
WesternAnimation A Bad Movie
Sponge Out of Water's cons outweigh its pros. When it comes to borrowing substance from the TV show to adapt to the big screen, it does an okay job at steering clear of the completely wrecked material after season four. Unfortunately, it manages to reintroduce and re-trash the same characters within its relatively short running time. SpongeBob himself is admittedly okay, and Squidward is fine, but Patrick and Mr. Krabs stain my view on them after Bikini Bottom goes into chaos and they both are very quick to turn away from SpongeBob for petty reasons behind their generally unfunny overreactions (Mr. Krabs in particular comes uncomfortably close to downright murdering SpongeBob, stopping only for a minor reason and never acknowledging his extreme behavior). Sandy also becomes annoying through her forced Sanity Slippage in the beginning, which was both unfunny and unnecessary.
If the movie had simply tried adapting the typical "SpongeBob" formula to the big screen, I feel as if it would have been more solid. Most of the movie's best moments come from the beginning, particularly prominent in the sequence depicting Plankton once again trying to steal the Krabby Patty formula (except actually kind of funny this time). Unfortunately, we see very little of this, as the movie quickly takes off in every direction it can by trying to combine SpongeBob with Doctor Who and The Avengers, which creates much more of a mess than a "fun-filled, zany adventure". What little of a plot there is experiences even less exploration, and most of the wandering story tangents end up serving as fuel for hit-or-miss jokes with very bad aim.
Then there's Plankton, who is actually treated to a decent character arc, but of course, it had to be tossed out the window by the end due to proper maintenance of the status quo. It's rather unfortunate, considering that he might've been the most likable character in the film.
All in all, there are a few decent moments in Sponge Out of Water, and the CGI novelty was done well enough for me not to complain. The rest of the movie, however, was unfocused and just utterly ridiculous. I don't understand why people keep praising it, and I don't understand why people like Bubbles.