Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

There Is Nothing Like a Sponge Who's a Cockeyed Optimist

Reviewed by Michael Reuben August 17, 2011

I missed out on SpongeBob, because my household didn't contain the target demographic. So when a review of this title was assigned to me, I decided to recruit help from someone more age-appropriate and asked a young man with whose family I'm acquainted to join me in viewing the film (with his parents' permission, of course). He hadn't seen it before either, but he knew the TV show and he had accompanied his parents on prior viewing occasions in our media room.

We agreed that I would jot down his observations while we were watching and shape them into a something resembling a review afterwards. The only condition -- and, to my surprise, he imposed it before his parents did -- is that I not use his name. My new colleague told me that the internet is full of "weirdos" and that he didn't want anyone to know who he is. He did agree to let me identify him by the handle "MikiMoko". I have no idea what that refers to.

Herewith, the first film review by Blu-ray.com's latest guest reviewer, MikiMoko (as told to yours truly, with occasional comments).

Who are these pirates? I thought this was supposed to be a SpongeBob film? It isn't even a cartoon! Did you mess up and put in a Captain Jack movie? Oh, I get it, their treasure chest has tickets to see SpongeBob. Well, that's lame.

OK, OK, enough of that joke. Where's the SpongeBob stuff?

That's better. Now it's a cartoon like it should be. But it's all wrong. Bob is, like, a big hero. It's gotta be a dream.

Told ya! They'd never make SpongeBob a tough guy.

Why's Bob in the Squid guy's shower? That's weird! Oh good -- Patrick's here! Patrick is funny.

What's this Krab 2 thing? Oh, I get it. Something for Plankton to get mad about.

(At this point, SpongeBob accidentally stomps on Plankton, who screams wildly several times, which convulsed my companion with laughter and resulted in several scenes without comments.)

So why didn't Bob get the job? (He's a kid.) Lame. Who's the fat guy with the crown? (King Neptune.) He's mean. Who's the girl? (His daughter, Princess Mindy. Her voice is Scarlett Johannson.) Who's that? (Famous young actress.) Don't know her.

(It suddenly occured to me that, by the time MikiMoko's hormones reach the point where Scarlett Johannson will matter to him, she'll have been supplanted by some younger starlet; so I sighed and gave up.)

Good scene at Goofy Goober. (Pause.) This Neptune guy is pretty dumb. Krabs didn't steal the crown. So I guess Bob has to find it, right?

Wait, the car is a hamburger? (I think it's a Krabby Patty.) Oh yeah. I still don't get it.

The guy on the motorcycle is great! (That's Dennis. Plankton hired him to kill Spongebob.) He won't.

(During the scene in a tough bar where the patrons' manhood is tested by seeing who can resist singing along with the Goofy Goober theme song, my viewing companion sang it -- softly. I didn't, because I don't know the lyrics.)

OK, so why is everyone in town wearing pails that say "CB"? Oh, I get it, "Chum Bucket". That's how Plankton takes over. Ooh, look at all the skulls where Bob and Pat are!

What's wrong with being a kid? Wait, where did the princess come from?

Now she's putting seaweed on Bob and Patrick's faces. Huh? It's supposed to be moustache? Looks fake.

Monsters -- cool!

All right, it's the motorcyle guy. Wait, he's been stomped?? That looks kinda . . . real. Where are we? It's a fishbowl.

(Silence for the next seven minutes of a truly inventive combination of live action and animation as SpongeBob and Patrick Star are captured by a diver a/k/a "The Cyclops" who collects sea creatures to sell at "Shell City". Concentration is broken only by the appearance of a new face.)

Who's David Hasselhoff? (Long story.) Is he a famous swimmer? (Sort of.) So that's how they get home? (Probably.)

(Silent concentration resumes, except for an audible exclamation of "yeah!" when motorcycle killer Dennis reappears on David Hasselhoff's leg. Yes, his leg.)

OK, the jerky King has his crown back, but now SpongeBob plays the guitar? In a music video thing? Well, I guess.

So now Bob is the manager. That's the end. (No, there's supposed to be something after the credits.) Can you fast forward? See, it's just more pirate stuff. Lame.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It should come as no surprise for a children's animated film created in the digital realm that The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie presents a clean, sharp, colorful image on Blu-ray. Strong, saturated colors are the norm, and the 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer handles them easily, without bleeding, distortion or artifacts. A more demanding test is presented by the footage that combines animation with live action, and here the transfer is also impressive. The live-action portion of the frame exhibits a natural and well-controlled film grain that does not appear to have been filtered or artificially reduced, while the animated portion remains steady and solid. That many of these scenes involve large expanses of moving water makes their stability and detail all the more impressive. This is a first-rate transfer of demanding material.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS lossless track effectively delivers the film's active 5.1 mix, which makes aggressive use of the rear speakers. One of the advantages of an imaginary environment is that the sound design is not constrained by any regard for physics or naturalism, so that mixers are free to place interesting effects wherever they'll be most entertaining. Dialogue and other sounds pan freely to the front left and right, but the excellent voice work ensures that you can always understand what these loopy characters are saying. The effects work is appropriately exaggerated for humorous impact, and the original underscoring by Gregor Narholz strikes just the right note of absurdity.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

MikiMoko, my guest reviewer, had zero interest in the film's extras, which confirms my suspicion that, when studio marketing departments stuff DVDs and Blu-rays with PR fluff, they're doing it all wrong. In any case, here's the usual overview. Most of the extras are in standard definition and appear on both the Blu-ray and the DVD copy. However, some are exclusive to each disc and are so designated below.

• The Absorbing Tale Behind The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (SD; 1.33:1; 18:15): A history of both the film and the character, including interviews with creator-writer-director Stephen Hillenburg; voice actor regulars Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick Star), Rodger Bumpuss (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), "Mr. Lawrence" (Plankton); and guest star voice actors Jeffrey Tambor (King Neptune), Scarlett Johannson (Princess Mindy), Alec Baldwin (hitman Dennis); and guest star David Hasselhoff. To keep things kid-friendly and educational, big words are defined on-screen.



• Case of the Sponge "Bob" (SD; 1.33:1; 14:50): Jean-Michel Cousteau and Stephen Hillenburg narrate undersea footage of real-life sponges, sea stars, plankton, etc. designed to show how Hillenburg borrowed from nature to create his beloved characters. Cousteau supplies the science.



• Animatics (SD; 1.33:1; 20:31): Early visualizations of key sequences using storyboards and the voice performances.



• Saving the Surf (SD; 1.33:1; 3:37): A public service announcement in support of preserving the oceans by the SurfRider Foundation.



• Teaser Trailer (HD/SD; 1.85:1; 1:14): A hilarious teaser incorporating footage from The Hunt for Red October, U-571 and Das Boot.



• Inside the Pineapple (Blu-ray only) (SD; 1.33:1; 11:30): A promotional behind-the-scenes special that aired on Nickelodeon, hosted by David Hasselhoff. It's informative, has interesting interviews and doesn't overstay its welcome.



• The Making of the Music Video (Blu-ray only) (SD; 1.33:1; 5:15): Loaded with comments like "We're doing this absurd stuff, because we can"; "I really don't know what's going on"; and "I don't know why they're in fur coats", this featurette documents the making of the video for the film's theme song.



• The Flaming Lips' "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" Music Video (Blu-ray only) (SD; 1.33:1; 4:09): A bizarre montage of clips from the film, traditional music video and "making of" clips. The song itself is heard over the film's closing credits.



• SpongeBob SquarePants THQ Game Demo (DVD only): This game demo is available only by installing content on a Windows PC through a DVD-ROM drive.



• Previews (DVD only) (SD; various, non-enhanced; 2.50): The DVD contains trailers for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and SpongeBob SquarePants, Second Season. These play at startup and are also available from the features menu.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As my young friend took his leave, I asked him how many stars he would give The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie out of five, with half stars allowed. He thought for a minute, then shrugged (which, as I'd learned by then, was his most frequent gesture). "It was pretty good", he said, "except for the pirate parts". Then he left without picking a number. Sounds like a solid 4.0 to me! Given the technical quality, highly recommended for fans of the little yellow guy.