Movie Review: Sponge out of Water (+trailer)

SpongeBob and his buddies come ashore and create chaos in Sponge Out of Water.

For lovers of "The Sponge", as he is known to fans, SpongeBob Squarepants' second movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water gives you everything you expect from the television hit and more.

In 90 minutes of colourful craziness, the plot is almost secondary.

Burger Beard (played as a non-animated Antonio Banderas) steals the recipe for Krabby Patties, sending the whole town of Bikini Bottom into chaos.

The movie has more twists and effects than the hit television series -- the animated characters come ashore in the last section of the movie. This makes for hilarious watching as the team hits the beach -- Squidward landing on a bikini-clad woman's back and Patrick discovering a love for "real" icecream.

The movie at times is laugh-out-loud comedy gold -- not for any overly complex script but for simple one-liners that you can't help giggling at long after the credits have gone up.

The trademark zany surrealism of the television series is hyped to the max with classic food fights, time travel sequences (accompanied by psychedelic graphics) and an epic battle at the end in which the characters are endowed with absurd superhero qualities.

It is a flight of fancy which is refreshing in an age when some children's movies have become so didactic their telling outweighs the fun.

The story's message -- that teamwork gets things done -- is presented in a slapstick tongue-in-cheek way, rather than in a do-goody Bob The Builder morality tale.

Captivating silliness will please SpongeBob fans. But even if you have never seen a SpongeBob episode, this film is a comedy caper that will entertain you.

The Spongebob Movie - Sponge Out of Water
(PG) 93 minutes
Rating: 3.5/5