Official Synopsis
On a mission to save his world, SpongeBob SquarePants is headed to ours. When pirate Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) steals the secret recipe for the beloved Krabby Patties, Spongebob and friends come ashore to bring back the missing formula. To succeed, they must team up with former rival, Plankton, but soon realize that to defeat a super-villain, they must unleash their inner superheroes.
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While the official synopsis only tells half the story of the film (and it is truly half), it certainly gives the good part away. The movie, while struggling to stay afloat the beginning, finds its sea legs and gets going in the second act once Burger Beard’s intentions are revealed. Prior, SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water feels like an extended cartoon of chaos. Still, the extended cartoon has some humorous parts that remind us to just laugh.
Let’s get to it.
The first act starts with the wacky introduction to Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) as he steals a sacred book containing a catastrophic story about Bikini Bottom and its obsession with Krabby Patties. The story starts with a typical day where Plankton is once again trying to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula, only to see it disappear in thin air. Being blamed by an angry Bikini Bottom mob, Plankton and SpongeBob escape to figure out where the formula has gone, which leads them to time travel (because why not).
Like I mentioned above, the first act of the movie is just an extended episode of the show. It’s wacky, goofy and dangerously mayonnaise (you’ll understand when you see it). Compared to the rest of the film, this is the sane part of the story. In fact, in a way, you can even call it a bit boring. BUT! Stick with it and the craziness begins. As soon as SpongeBob and Plankton leave the area and begin their adventure, the insanity starts to spiral towards its zenith, which makes the film unique and interesting.
The second act contains the following:
– Angry mob
– Still no firm explanation of the missing recipe
– A talking time wizard dolphin named Bubbles (quite possibly the best part)
– A Krabby Patty trail that leads to the surface
I’m not going to put that act in order for you, as I’m sure you’re trying to wrap your head around Bubbles the time wizard dolphin that raps (forgot to mention that, didn’t I?), so let’s just move on to the third act and pretend that the second act cleverly and smoothly transitions into it.
The third act finally has our boys/girls/plankton out of water and chasing Burger Beard the pirate. The group transforms into superheroes to battle the burger beast and a large chase begins through the costal city of wherever. The ending is something to behold, as all things turn out well — if not brilliantly. Certainly this is best part of the film and worth the price of insanity you travel through in the second act. Again, I don’t want to give too much away, so let your imagination run.
Overall, Sponge Out of Water was far better than expected. It starts out slow, gets incredibly over-the-top mental, but pays off by the end. Side note, kudos to Antonio Banderas for adding yet another dimension to his acting career. He was a perfect choice for Burger Beard and looks absolutely comfortable in the role — despite chatting up virtual and cartoony characters for a good part of the movie.
Anyway, SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water is a treat for both parents and kids. Don’t miss it.
(Reviewed with passive)
On the Blu-ray 3D side of things, much like the story, the movie starts a bit slow in 3D visuals, but picks up the pace, especially when the group hits the sunny shores of wherever. Paramount and Nick did a great job with delivering the goods, as the majority of the second act and all of the third act really push the 3D background/foreground separation beautifully. The animation sequences, as you can guess, look the best. The real world stuff at the beginning is more pretty with the Blu-ray clarity than it is with the 3D aspect. Regardless, if you enjoy a good 3D adventure, it’s on par with a fun experience, though it doesn’t quite achieve greatness.
The Blu-ray HD side is far more consistent in quality. The show has always been full of life and color, and live action scenes in Sponge Out of Water are well lit and colorful. The opening scene with Banderas stealing the book from the skeleton king on the random island in the pacific shows off the bright, clear and gorgeous color scheme that sets the tone of the HD quality on the Blu-ray disc for the rest of the movie. There is literally no problems with graininess, artifacts or compression issues. It’s a pretty movie that transitions from real world to animation (and both) seamlessly.
As for special features, here’s what to expect:
· On the Surface
o SpongeBob SquarePants: Out of His World
o When I Grow Up, I Want to Make Funny Sounds
o Becoming Burger Beard
o Making the Burger Mobile Chase Sequence
o It’s Hip to Be SquarePants
o A Day in the Life of a Sponge
· Underwater Awesomeness
o Plankton Rules the World!
o Bikini Bottom Confidential: Rock Stars of the Sea
o International Sponge of Mystery
– Meet Bubbles
– The Speech
· Bikini Bottom Boogie
o Thank Gosh It’s Monday
o SpongeBob Sing-Alongs:
– Thank Gosh It’s Monday
– Teamwork
– Theme Song/Rap Battle
o “Squeeze Me” Music Video by N.E.R.D.
· Deleted/Extended/Alternate/Test Scenes
Yeah, there’s a ton here. Bravo, Paramount and Nick. Bravo.