The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) Reviews

• Actually, it's quite good..

  axeman-92005-02-15

  I have to put my hand up right now and say that the whole Spongebob thing had passed me by up until I saw this movie. I have no kids, no Satellite TV and therefore no legitimate reason to have caught any episodes of SBSP. However, I did see some of the trailers, and being a submarine nut I loved them. I also got the low down from a friend with a youngster who watched the DVD constantly, day after day, and he confessed to loving the show too. What the hell, I thought I'd see the movie. What do you know, it's actually quite good! It looks almost exactly like an episode on TV, there doesn't appear to have been any attempt to update, enhance or otherwise movie-fy the series. Fair enough. As for the story and characters, while it's obviously geared to a younger audience I'd have to say that at least half of it would only be understood by the more adult viewer, and there are more than a few nods to other movies that no toddler will have seen. For instance, the silent, motorcycle-riding, super-tough assassin is a dead ringer for the silent, motorcycle-riding, super-tough assassin in Raising Arizona, and just as funny. There's a certain amount of slapstick and visual gags, but the dialogue and situations are fine too. Overall I enjoyed the movie, it's funny and engaging and although it does start to lag a bit in the third act it's still rewarding. I'm not sure if the live-action was a good idea, but it's always fun to see The Hasselhoff do his stuff on screen, even if it's poking fun at his persona. There's laugh out loud moments, annoying songs, cameos, Hasselhoff and all the other things that a one-off special episode should have, and that's fine by me.

• It's SpongeBob, 'nuff said

  bro25sibs2005-02-28

  I didn't quite know what to expect when I walked into the theater to watch the movie of one of my favorite cartoons. Nickelodeon has a really nasty habit of "big-budgtizing" movies of their shows (changing the look, etc.). However this is not the case with SpongeBob. Whew, one less thing to worry about. Next was the story. Could Steve Hillenburg live up to what had been laid down by the series? Yes. Basically it's like watching a 1 1/2 hour episode of SpongeBob (and who couldn't like that). Lot's of visual gags and typical Sponge brainless-ness. I was quite impressed. If you're a SpongeBob fan, you'll love this movie. If you're not, eh, watch it anyways, it'll do you good ;-).

• Better than I expected!

  Candy-Holic2006-02-03

  Okay, I admit it! I'm a big fan of SpongeBob SquarePants TV-series. And when the movie came out, I was more than suspicious. Most movies that have been made out of TV-series have been big disappointments. But I can assure you, this one is not. If you have ever seen an episode of SpongeBob and liked it, you'll most probably enjoy this film. Even though the movie is mainly directed to kids, as is the TV-series, it will definitely keep adults interested just as well. Something I especially love in this movie are the characters. In their own way, they're all fun and original. The voice actors do a brilliant job in bringing the characters of Bikini Bottom to life. All the voices fit perfectly and make the movie even funnier! Watching SpongeBob SquarePants the Movie is like watching a long episode of the TV show. And I believe that's just the way we like it! I was scared they were going to make some kind of weird changes to make it more appealing to a wider audience, but I'm glad they kept the spirit of the show. If you have doubts about whether to see this movie, take my advice; go see it, now!

• I was curious why my kid likes Spongebob so much...

  winshams2004-11-27

  I went to see Spongebob because my kid has pretty sophisticated taste, and I couldn't imagine how a cartoon sponge could be interesting. But it was interesting. I wasn't bored for a second, and actually laughed out loud numerous times. Parts of it were definitely off color, but that made it more adult....not just a cartoon kid movie. I loved the David Hasselhof bit. I also liked the other real people and locations that weren't cartoon. This movie would be scary for real little kids, which may help explain why middle school kids like it. I'm not going to watch the TV show every week, but I do think a parent could do worse than going to see Spongebob with his kid...a pleasant afternoon, and insight into what they are watching...

• An underwater adventure of goofy proportions ensues.

  TheMovieMark2004-11-17

  This is a movie about an animated sponge that wears square cardboard pants. So there you go, you can't go to the movie and claim you didn't know what kind of humor to expect. It's goofy, it's silly, and it can be downright strange. But I can't call those negative attributes considering the fact that all of the above can also be used to describe me at times. I've never seen the SpongeBob TV show, so I went into the movie without much of an idea of what I was in for. I must say that while I won't rush out and buy the DVD, I walked away fairly entertained. Expectedly, a lot of the humor is directed towards children, but there's enough here to keep the adults snickering. I may be nearing 30, but I'm not ashamed to laugh at a sponge wearing square whitey tighties! Oh, and for those of us who never cease to mock David Hasselhoff - he has a cameo. I've gotta give the guy credit - he's very aware that the entire country is laughing *at* him, yet he's completely willing to join in. The children at the screening loved the movie, singing along to songs and everything. One of the funniest things was when Patrick the starfish first appeared on screen and the kids erupted in applause. It was like watching an episode of Seinfeld when Kramer makes his first appearance of an episode and the studio audience goes crazy. I briefly thought about booing just for the fun of it, but the thought of a bunch of tiny little hands pattering me upon my face didn't sound too fun. But let's go back to the whole "singing along to songs" bit. I think it's only fair to warn parents that this may start to drive you crazy after the movie. Good luck trying to keep your kid from singing, "I'm ready, promotion! I'm ready, promotion!" or "I'm a goofy goober, you're a goofy goober, we're all goofy goobers" over and over and over again. I had to bribe my 9-year-old brother with cold hard cash to knock it off with the "I'm ready, promotion!" song. Speaking of my brother, I asked him after the movie which he preferred -SpongeBob or The Polar Express. To my surprise, he said SpongeBob because it was "funnier." I suppose this is a lesson that children aren't quite as impressed with fancy animation as adults are. But he's right, SpongeBob is a funny movie in it's own quirky, original way. I'm not dying to see it again, and I don't think I'll be glued to the TV set every time it's on, but I enjoyed it, and I'm not gonna waste my time or yours by picking apart what I didn't like. The target audience should be pleased with the end result, so mission accomplished. THE GIST If you're a fan of the TV show, then you should definitely get a kick out of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. This movie isn't exactly for everybody though. If you've never heard of SpongeBob, then there's quite a bit here that may humor you. But if you hate all things silly, goofy, and immature, then this isn't for you.