Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Who lives in a pineapple under the 3D? SpongeBob SquarePants!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 29, 2015

It's in the tradition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Smurfs that the iconic cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants and his band of colorful friends (and enemies) slog onto land in the hybrid cartoon/live action/CGI film, appropriately titled The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Indeed, the movie sees the fan-favorite underwater dwellers (eventually) forced to the surface when a story that begins with an attempted theft of a prize recipe leads to chaos and a meeting with an unscrupulous pirate who had previously nabbed a magical book Indiana Jones style. The combination is strong enough to both bring two disparate universes (and those three visual mediums) together and yield a movie packed with entertaining mayhem and the trademark humor that has made SpongeBob and company a global phenomenon. The film isn't remarkable, but it's a quick-witted, over-the-top joy ride of mindless fun and endless gags that make for an enjoyable little escape into, and out of, the ocean's depths.

A new look.

Down under the sea, at a place called Bikini Bottom, there's a little restaurant named "The Krusty Krab" where a sponge named SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny) flips burgers. But these aren't just any burgers. They're the most delicious burgers under the sea. Everyone loves them and all of the residents eat nothing else. That's good for business, for that business anyway. A rival shop next door, operated by the scheming Plankton (voiced by Mr. Lawrence), sells putrid burgers that nobody likes. If he's to stay in business, he needs to get a hold of that rival recipe ASAP. He hatches a plan to get inside the secret vault where the recipe is held, but the result is chaos: the recipe vanishes and the people quickly rebel when there are no more tasty burgers to devour. SpongeBob has no choice but to escape the madness with Plankton at his side and hatch a scheme to save Bikini Bottom that will involve time travel, omnipotent dolphins, and a scheming pirate (Antonio Banderas), amongst other oddities.

Combining the animated world of SpongeBob with cutting-edge CGI, various live-action moments, and countless bits of zany action and adventure yields pretty much what one would expect. The movie spends the bulk of its runtime underwater and in the familiar animated realm as SpongeBob and friends do battle (and more) with arch-nemesis Plankton in any number of ways and in interesting locations, complete with some entertainingly over-the-top doodads, such as a gun that fires alternating ketchup and mustard rounds (where a seriously silly joke about mayonnaise steals the scene). The movie is wall-to-wall lighthearted insanity. It never gives an inch and refuses to even toe the line between "fun" and "serious." The movie spends all its time squarely on the "zany" side of things, offering various adventuresome escapades that never slow down and don't usually wear out their welcome. The movie can grow mildly stale in spots as it sometimes gets stuck in a loop where it feels like it's trying to spread the runtime and raise the humor quotient rather than get on with the story, but it's otherwise a wild ride that plops familiar turf into a few unfamiliar places.

The movie's only real potential for consternation comes in the digitally animated bits near the end. SpongeBob and crew look great in CG, but their (spoiler alert) "larger" forms can be somewhat disconcerting, particularly as they're set up against the real world and scaled to match. Perhaps that's what the filmmakers wanted, but it's shocking enough to pull the viewer, at least temporarily, out of the movie rather than simply go with the flow. Perhaps only mingling animation and live action rather than adding in the third layer of CGI would have worked better in this instance, but probably not more efficiently. Fortunately, the core character fun remains and all of them get a fair bit of mileage out of their beachside adventures, wonky appearances and all. That aside, the movie's technical merits impress. Those digital effects do mesh rather seamlessly with the real world, whether the familiar, and here modified, characters or the flock of CG seagulls that follow Burger Beard's every move and might leave audiences doing a double-take to make sure they're not real, and very well trained, creatures. Banderas is the lone human of any significance in the movie. His performance dazzles in sort of a Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow meets Hank Azaria's Gargamel sort of way, looking a little less flighty and fantastical as Depp's flamboyant swashbuckler and not coming across as quite so comically menacing and uproariously over-the-top as Azaria's Smurf hunter. Still, Banderas clearly has a lot of fun in the simplified role. He's not given enough raw on-page depth to really make the character anything more interesting than a nuts-and-bolts kids' movie villain, but there's no denying the energy he brings to the part, elevating it, and the film, a notch above where it should be.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Judging by the look of the main menu, which presents a highlight reel of some of the film's finest 3D moments, it was easy to predict that The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water would be a high end 3D experience, and the main movie doesn't disappoint. The image yields incredible depth and volume across all three areas of focus: its live action pieces, the intermixing CGI, and the traditional underwater animation. In every instance the transfer shows what 3D can do by providing incredible depth as the camera focuses on a stretch of water that seems to go on forever. Dense jungles show nice separation between leaves. Human characters stand apart from the environment. The CGI elements that appear in the third act present with effortless volume. There are some nifty eye-popping visual effects in the third act, too, effects that fool the senses into believing, for example, that a rushing wall of bubbles is about to flow straight out of the display. But it's perhaps the classically animated underwater segments where the image best shines. There's a very natural sense of sprawling space to the general area, helped tremendously by otherwise innocuous bubbles that drift along the screen but provide a critical added layer of tangible depth. Characters are shapely and even SpongeBob's nose appears to stick out beyond his face in head-on shots. Various action scenes send bits and pieces flying through the screen with flinching realism; viewers might think a barrage of potatoes are primed to smack them in the face. There's a hint of unnatural motion blur to some fast-panning shots and the review equipment displayed a small bit of crosstalk throughout, but this is otherwise a high end 3D presentation. Better, the core image's best qualities remain. In a nutshell, the 3D presentation maintains all the visual excellence of the 2D-only picture, including the pinpoint textures, the gorgeous colors, and the effortless natural sharpness. For more information, see the video review accompanying the 2D-only release.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water swims onto Blu-ray with a vigorous, balanced, and infinitely enjoyable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Paramount's presentation impresses across the board. Music enjoys precise definition throughout the range, including a healthy, weighty, and perfectly supportive low end. Surrounds are engaged consistently but evenly, allowing music to drift through the back but play with dominant positioning across the front. Sound effects are full and rich. The track throws plenty of support bits through the stage, front and back alike, that help bring various environments to life. Whether light beachside ambience or the chaotic din of a devastated underwater location, there's plenty of immersive elements to enjoy. Larger, higher priority effects are likewise well defined and crisp. Everything from blaring sirens to throaty propellor planes (that fly underwater, oddly) fill the listening area with natural definition and easy, effortless authority. Dialogue is presented with natural center placement and effortless lifelike clarity, reverberating through the stage when the environment demands. This is a great track in all areas that makes the movie even more entertaining.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water's supplements are a navigational nightmare of branching categories, often with their own sub-categories and sub-supplements. Inside the Blu-ray 3D case, buyers will find a 2D-only disc, a DVD copy of the film, and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy. All of the special features are included on the 2D-only disc, but there is one 3D exclusive extra in the form of a deleted scene entitled Thank Gosh It's Monday (1080p, 3D, 2:41, also available as a 2D-only extra on the 2D disc).

• On the Surface (1080p):
  
  
  • SpongeBob SquarePants: Out of His World (7:40): Cast and crew discuss the basic plot, characters, blending the characters with the real world, character evolutions, and more.
  • When I Grow Up, I Want to Make Funny Sounds (9:41): Brief interview snippets with some of the franchise's famous voice actors.
  • Becoming Burger Beard (6:06): A closer look at Antonio Banderas' character and the actor's performance. Also included is a look at Banderas' wardrobe and makeup.
  • Making the Burger Mobile Chase Sequence (5:40): A look at the making of one of the film's biggest action scenes.
  • It's Hip to Be SquarePants (3:31): A tongue-in-cheek look at the fashion statement of square clothing.
  • A Day in the Life of a Sponge (2:33): Another tongue-in-cheek piece that's just as the title suggests, but in black-and-white and French.
• Underwater Awesomeness (1080p):
• Plankton Rules the World! (6:21): Oceanographer/Explorer Sylvia Earle explores the wonders of the ocean, with emphasis on plankton.
• Bikini Bottom Confidential: Rock Stars of the Sea (9:28): Earle returns to introduce audiences to some of the heroes of the underwater exploration scene.
• International Sponge of Mystery: A two-part feature that showcases two scenes playing in various languages (some of which, sadly, aren't full-track options, like Mandarin and Icelandic).
• Meeting Bubbles (2:58).
• The Speech (1:17).


• Bikini Bottom Boogie (1080p):
• Thank Gosh It's Monday (2:39): A short musical in which SpongeBob celebrates Monday.
• SpongeBob Sing-Alongs (1080p): Karaoke-style presentations of three songs from the film.
  
  
  • Thank Gosh It's Monday (2:44).
  • Teamwork (1:23).
  • Theme Song/Rap Battle (1:51).
• Music Video (1080p, 2:35): "Squeeze Me" by N.E.R.D.


• Deleted/Extended/Alternate/Test Scenes (1080p):
• Thank Gosh It's Monday (2:39).
• Thank Gosh It's Monday Storyboard Extended Version (4:43).
• Making Krabby Patties (0:34).
• Erasing SpongeBob's Memory (0:54).
• Experimenting with a New Formula (2:43).
• Hunger Hypothesis (0:26).
• It's Alive (1:05).
• Burger Beard Flashback (1:44).
• Teamwork Extended Storyboard Version (2:51).
• Teamwork Original Version (2:30).
• When We Are (1:18).
• Too Far Back (0:41).
• Mad Chase (2:46).
• Guitar Case Backstroke (0:48).

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is a fun little diversion that knows its place and relishes its mayhem. It's silly fun, nothing more and nothing less, and plays in the spirit that made the characters and their world so popular. The characters look a little off in one of their CGI form, but a fair plot, lots of entertaining mayhem, and a quality effort from Antonio Banderas all help mask any marginal shortcomings. In the end, the movie works as a well made little distraction that should delight fans and satisfy newcomers. Paramount's Blu-ray 3D release of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water features outstanding video and audio. Plenty of extras are included. Recommended.