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But, for the rest of you, who know exactly what Mr. Squarepants is all about, well, then you either hate the little guy or love him absolutely! Most likely because of things like this! Either way, one thing was clear…Spongebob has officially reached the point where he needs his own movie, and Hollywood is there to answer; in a big way! The Spongebob Squarepants Movie delivers laughs on every level you would expect it to, and features all your favorite Bikini Bottom citizens as well as a few new friends. Spongebob’s pink starfish pal Patrick will be by his side throughout much of the action, Sandy the Squirrel makes a few appearances, and of course, there would be no justice for Spongebob if Squidward and Mr. Krabs weren’t around to suffer the antics of this rectangle sponge soaked in trouble. But the action doesn’t get underway until the sea-bound super villain Plankton gets his ultra-secret “Plan Z” into play…a plan that promises to change the face of Bikini Bottom…forever! Mr. Krabs is preparing to open a second location of his popular Krusty Krab fast-food restaurant, home of the infamous Krabby Patties, where Spongebob is currently a fry cook. And this new location is going to need a manager to keep it on top…but where, of where, can a candidate be found with the kind of responsibility necessary to do the job? Well, who better than a fry cook that has been awarded the employee of the month award for the umpteenth time, right? Makes sense to Spongebob, that’s for sure, but when Mr. Krabs gives the honor to Squidward because Spongebob is still too much of a kid…well, let’s just say it sends Spongebob into a downward spiral of depression that lasts until he is shaken out of his misery by a real adventure; an adventure that will take all of Spongebob and Partrick’s resources to return from alive! The King of the Sea, Neptune, has had his crown stolen and is fiery mad to say the least; and through a strange turn of events Spongebob is assigned the task of bringing it back to him. The crown has apparently made its way to Shell City, a faraway place that no one ever returns from; a mysterious and dangerous place guarded by a giant Cyclops. But Spongebob, eager to prove once and for all that he is an adult and not just a silly kid, has wrangled Patrick into heading straight for Shell City and returning with the crown at all costs. Patrick is either eager to prove himself as well, or is perhaps just a little too slow to understand what he is getting himself into. The undersea pair head off through the great unknown depths and begin immediately to get themselves into some serious trouble that includes angry biker gangs, a motorcycle riding hitman, an entire horde of gigantic sea-creatures and beasts, a massive one-eyed Cyclops monster, and a very irritated counter man at the ice cream joint. They are going to need every bit of help available and it is gonna come from some pretty bizarre places, including Neptune’s own mermaid daughter, a assortment of dried up fish, and David Hasslehoff. Umm, yeah, I said it…watch the darn movie if you want it explained! It is exactly this sort of bizarre haphazardness that makes Spongebob Squarepants such a hit on the small screen, and let me tell you that the hijinks in this film are much larger now to make sure they stand up to the larger theatre screen. Patrick gets naked (of course), Spongebob gets drunk on way to much chocolate syrup topped sundaes, Mr. Krabs gets himself frozen in a block of ice, Plankton does his best to implement a mind-control scheme, and back to Spongebob…well, he plays a little rock-n-roll…while wearing a wizard’s outfit…and flying…with a magic guitar. Now tell me you don’t want to watch this movie! There is the usual blend of humor geared towards both adults and children…but this time there is a little more stuff that the adults in the audience will pick up on. First up is the amazing appearance by everyone’s favorite Baywatch actor and Germany’s favorite singer, David HassleHoff. The sheer fact that he appears in this film is obviously not for the 10 year olds in the audience and is included as a “what the…” moment for the parents. But more than this blatant guest spot, the hidden references are what really make watching this film fun for an older audience member like myself. Look close enough into this movie and you will find some serious homage to films of all types. Raising Arizona donates its motorcycle madman, Peewee’s Big Adventure hands over its biker bar and desperate search for a lost vehicle, the “Batman” television show finds some of its “To the Batcave action” transplanted, and there is more than a little touch of Deliverance thrown in with the two hillbilly gas station attendants. The moments go on and on, many of which I was able to catch and more of which I am sure I missed. If anyone can place the hidden message behind “You don’t need a license to drive a sandwich”…well, you’re a better man than I…but I’m sure it’s there! And after you are done watching the movie over and over to catch all the hilarity and implied tidbits…well, you’re going to want to see some extras! Scroll on over to “The Case Of The Sponge’Bob’” and check out the real life creatures behind all your favorite Spongebob characters; from starfish to squid to sponges…even some looks into scuba and other forms of diving! This special is hosted by Jean-Michel Cousteau and features Spongebob’s creator Stephen Hillenburg in his first “acting” role! Don’t give up the day job Stephen! Tune in to “The Absorbing Tale Behind The Spongebob Squarepants Movie” to find out just what prompted the idea of putting this yellow little dude on the silver screen, and you will learn all sorts of other goodies in the process. Find out how Spongebob was created, who voiced the characters and what the characters are all about, how the action for the film was decided upon, and what you can expect to take home from this film…life lessons from Spongebob…what’ll they think of next! There is a SurfRider Foundation special on saving the oceans and beaches of our planet and why this mission is of grave importance, and a 20 minute animatic of the film featuring the talents, yet again, of our creator/actor Stephen Hillenburg. Also be sure to check out the playable demo of Spongebob’s PC game from THQ (one of the best game designers for younger audiences). Also included on the disc is my favorite, action packed, star-studded trailer for the film…”Submarine”. It’s good stuff, and not to be missed. This is one to check out if you are a fan of Spongebob or completely absurdist television of any type. And if you still need some convincing, all I can say is that without watching this DVD you are never going to see a ship full of pirates perform a music number and then rampage their local Cineplex to soak up some Sponge. Yeah, I figured that was all it would take… -aaron-
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