Review of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

Initial Thought: I'm watching this to get it over with. I really enjoyed this show growing up and I still enjoy it. The problem here is the movie looks awful especially the CGI. The only reason I am checking this out now is because I do like the actors that are involved here. Hopefully it turns out to be funny like the show.

Characters/Acting: Well we get all the actors/characters returning from the series. We even get the likes of Antonio Banderas. Also if you are a big Youtube user then you may notice Epic Lloyd and Nice Peter have parts as well. Whoa even Frankie Muniz is out of hiding for a quick appearance. Not to mention a lot of great voice actors are in this. It was interesting to see Antonio Banderas as a pirate let alone a villain, but I thought it was great.

Story: Well he comes on land again this time to save a recipe and also to become really awkward looking CGI creations. We get a lot of the usual antics from the series as well as some new ones. I always found it quite humorous whenever they showed stuff like that. One moment I remember from the series where the phrase about playing the world's tiniest violin is put in literally. The seagulls and pelicans had the best CGI, but I still didn't like how the main characters (other than Sandy) looked in that style. I thought the music was pretty enjoyable with the final song being the best and you will know why.

Directing/Writing: Paul Tibbitt worked on the series both directing and writing. He also wrote the other SpongeBob film. This however is his first time directing a film. Hopefully his skills with the series can transfer to directing film. I do find it a bit odd that it took four people to write this story though. Glenn Berger has been on (with the Kung Fu Panda films) and off (with the Chipmunks films). Let's hope this isn't like the latter. The same exact thing goes for Jonathan Aibel who worked with him. Stephen Hillenburg the creator of the show returns from his departure after the first film. He wrote and directed the first movie before he took an extensive leave. This time he decided to skip on the directing. He also worked on Rocko's Modern Life. I expect with all this talent this shall at least be a little entertaining.

Final Thought: Despite my feelings on the CGI I thought this was an enjoyable time with characters I grew up with. The music is fun and catchy. It's good to see people who made Spongebob awesome still got it. I honestly think I might have liked this more than the first film. It's definitely a good one for the family especially the kiddos.