A Mom’s Review - Spongebob Movie: Sponge out of Water

When previews of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob were released in May of 1999, I admit, I was intrigued. I was 19 years old and the curious, porous sponge with an enchanting, yet obnoxious laugh got my attention. Pair SpongeBob’s cuteness with a cast of characters that only a marine biologist could think up, and a franchise was created. While SpongeBob was a hit almost immediately, the slightly annoying sponge wasn’t part of my day to day life until about 2006 when my only daughter turned two years old. Now nearly a decade after daily SpongeBob exposure began, I went to see yet another movie featuring the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom. My 10-year-old daughter was a reluctant companion to the movie, but ended up enjoying every minute of it. Check out a mom’s review of SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, a clever, zany movie that shows a different side of the characters and residents of Bikini Bottom.

Bubbles is voiced by Matt Berry – not Christopher Walken. When I first heard Bubbles on the screen, I thought to myself – how didn’t I know Christopher Walken was a voice actor in this movie? Then I listened closely and determined it might not be the actor! After researching it, I realized the actor playing Bubbles is Matt Berry, an actor/writer known for his role of Percy in Snow White and the Huntsman.

It’s been over a decade since the last SpongeBob movie was released and Paramount and Nickelodeon spared no expense to make sure this movie was a hit. All of the usual characters; SpongeBob, Squidward, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Plankton, and Karen (the computer wife) were prevalent in the movie, and there were also a bunch of new characters included as well. Antonio Banderas plays the devious Burger Beard, a pirate with the same penchant for money as Mr. Krabs, and the cast also includes a bunch of annoying seagulls, and an all-seeing dolphin.

Plankton has been trying desperately to get his hands on the Krusty Krab’s Krabby Patty secret formula for well over 15 years, and in the movie, Sponge Out of Water, Plankton is up to his old tricks once again. Being the clever crab that he is, Mr. Krabs has developed a foolproof plan to protect his beloved recipe from the tiny green villain, but as best laid plans usually go, the plan doesn’t work and chaos erupts.

Being the empathetic sponge that he is, SpongeBob comes to Plankton’s rescue when he is falsely accused of a dastardly act. While the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom riot, SpongeBob works with Plankton to clear his name and return order under the sea.

While Plankton and SpongeBob work with Karen (the computer wife) to right the wrong that has been delivered to Bikini Bottom, the residents; including Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Patrick, and Squidward riot. What develops is a scene that one would expect on The Walking Dead rather than SpongeBob SquarePants. Sandy starts to lose her marbles, Patrick tapes a hammer to his forehead, Squidward becomes an apathetic punk rocker cashier, and Mr. Krabs dons an outfit that he apparently borrowed from a dominatrix while the townspeople loot, riot, and destroy the town in search of their beloved Krabby Patties.

When SpongeBob and Plankton learn there are forces beyond the surface of the sea that are contributing to the problems in Bikini Bottom, they gather the support of their favorite cast mates along with a mystical spell that allows them to breathe above water and head to the surface. Not only does the magical spell give them the ability to breathe above water, but it also gives our favorite zany Nickelodeon characters superhero powers. Seeing the characters that my daughter grew up loving take on superhuman powers was endearing and brought new life to a series that is nowhere near over!

Although I won’t tell you how, I will tell you everyone eventually lives happily ever after in Bikini Bottom, which is exactly what one would expect from this franchise. When the credits began to roll, everyone including the group of four teenagers sitting behind us and my daughter who acted like she only came as a favor to her 5-year-old cousin, began to sing the theme song at the top of their lungs! For some reason, the sponge that lives in a pineapple at the bottom of the sea and his unique group of friends attracts fans of all ages today and surely will in the future as well.