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By
WAYNE KLEIN
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,
wet, sandy and 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, and 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 SpongeBob" 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 are 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. |
