The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water

The latest big screen caper from everybody’s favourite anthropomorphic sponge and his ragtag bunch of friends is finally here, and kids and fans of the show are in for a treat.

The film centres around the super secret Krabby Patty formula and the fact that, for some reason, when the formula is stolen, the whole town of Bikini Bottom goes a little Mad Max. The gang must recover the secret formula in a journey that involves time travel, space dolphins, super powers and lots and lots of ice cream.

For kids the movie will be a riot: it’s colourful, pun-filled and overflowing with the kind of nautical nonsense that has made Spongebob and his pals so consistently popular. The plot works and is just interesting enough that even the filler scenes don’t drag. There are cameos from all of Bikini Bottom’s finest, a few well placed call-backs and the kind of soundtrack that you’ll be humming for days.

For adults, and older Spongebob fans who are still nostalgic for the older incarnation of the show, the film may not be so enjoyable. While the 2004 movie was just surreal enough to entertain people of all ages, this new silver screen foray is a little less adult-friendly. The goofy nature that won Spongebob our collective hearts and minds is still present, but now it seems the creative team are aiming more for flashiness and quick laughs than depth and heart.

So, if colourful and cheery nonsense is your thing, Sponge Out of Water will be perfect, but if you’re looking for something with a little more to it, there are far better children’s flicks out there.

Natasha Furlong

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is released nationwide on 20^th March 2015.

Watch the trailer for The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water here: