THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE

by Jane Louise Boursaw

Rated PG (for some mild crude humor). 90 minutes. Directed by Stephen Hillenburg & Sherm Cohen. Ok for kids of all ages.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Well, if you don’t know by now, you’ve had your head under a mussel shell somewhere.

Trouble is brewing in Bikini Bottom, in this feature-length movie based on the wildly popular Nickelodeon cartoon. Someone has stolen King Neptune’s crown, and it looks like Mr. Krabs is the culprit! And even though he’s just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, Spongebob stands by his boss. He and best pal Patrick set off on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krab’s life!

The journey takes the pair through some of the darker recesses of the ocean floor, including the Thug Tug, a rough establishment where few fish dare to venture, and a freakish trench filled with monsters. To make matters worse, the pair is being pursued by a relentless hit man named Dennis (Alex Baldwin), and Bikini Bottom is being turned upside down by Plankton’s evil plan to Rule the World!

THE LOWDOWN: I was afraid this movie wouldn’t live up to the two-level writing (appealing to both kids and adults) as the TV series. But it truly does. And it’s every bit as fun and witty as the series. The plot’s interesting and held my interest to the end (which isn’t always the case with kid movies). And the new characters – Scarlett Johansson as Mindy the Princess and Alec Baldwin as Dennis the hit man – are a nice addition. And even though David Hasselhoff appears only briefly at the end, it’s a very funny scene.

The story dragged at times, but it didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment factor. One of my favorite scenes is when Spongebob and Patrick are drowning their sorrows in ice cream sundaes, then wake up the next day with an ice cream hangover. Who among us hasn’t been there? I wondered if that might be a bit racy for kids, but the ice cream factor seemed to balance it out.

I also cringed a little at seeing Patrick in high heels and mesh stockings, and the heavy metal spiel at the end -- while enjoyable -- seemed out of place with the rest of the movie.

SCORE: 3 out of 4 Reels.

Jane's Reel Rating System:

One Reel – Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.

Two Reels – Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.

Three Reels – Pleasant. Something to talk about.

Four Reels – Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies!

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