The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

This third feature-length version of the long-running cartoon is unlikely to win over many new fans – but taken for what it is, there are enough moments of surreal and absurdist comedy to make this an amusing watch, even if it does run out of steam somewhat at the halfway point.

Premise: When SpongeBob’s beloved pet snail Gary is snail-napped, SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick set out on a quest to the Lost City of Atlantic City to find him.

Review:

Let’s be honest – you have probably already made up your mind whether or not you fall into the target demographic for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run – either you’re already a fan of the character and the long-running cartoon, or you’re not. But there’s likely a third category – adults with younger family members who may want to see the movie, and to them I can say, this is actually not a bad film at all for what it is.

Firstly, there are some great cameos, from Keanu Reeves (who plays a wise sage, called Sage, who’s a sage bush) to Snoop Dogg and Danny Trejo (I won’t spoil who they’re playing). Then there are also some new animated characters voiced by Awkwafina, Matt Berry and Tiffany Haddish, who also bring an extra dimension to the film.

“…the first half of the film kept me amused throughout…”

But ultimately, it’s the blend of childish “obvious” comedy with moments of truly surreal humour that make the film genuinely amusing, whether it’s squirrel that lives under the sea in an astronaut’s costume, or the capitalism-obsessed crab who runs the local burger joint, or the dysfunctional relationship between the evil planktonic copepod and his long-suffering sentient computer “wife”.

The first half of the film kept me amused throughout, and even though there’s a long section which has absolutely nothing to do with the main plot (it’s an extended dream sequence that appears to have no real effect on the rest of the movie), that’s not a problem, because it’s still funny. The problem comes when the characters reach the Lost City of Atlantic City, as that’s when the film appears to complete lose momentum for a good 20 minutes or so, with a very low gag rate.

“…about 20-30 minutes too long…”

The film does find its comic rhythm again in the final act, and although a little anticlimactic, the dénouement does have one genuinely unpredictable (and genuinely funny) final gag that redeems the second half of the movie.

All in all, this isn’t going to win over many new fans, and it really is about 20-30 minutes too long with very weak middle act, but if you do have younger fans who want to watch it, it’s actually not an unamusing watch.