The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Movie Review

"The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run" is a definite nostalgic trip that will make old time fans happy and giddy. This felt like it had the same spirit as an original television episode but of course in a longer film format. Unsurprisingly, the new visuals do stand out but the narrative falls heavily short against its glossy and mesmerizing exterior and ultimately makes the film a less than an ideal experience overall.

The 3,000 year old ruler Poseidon of the Lost City of Atlantic City has found out that he has a wrinkle and the only solution to his problem is having more snails to rub on his face. But this time, there are no snails left in the ocean except for one - SpongeBob's pet snail Gary. Plankton, thinking that SpongeBob is the only thing preventing him from stealing the Krabby Patty secret recipe, finds out about Poseidon's desire to get a snail at all costs and devices a devious plan to kidnap Gary. He does this successfully which forces SpongeBob to leave Bikini Bottom without warning. With SpongeBob gone, all hell literally breaks loose - making all of his friends realize how important he has been in their lives.

There is always a risk of losing your core fan base by changing the look and feel of any original material but "Sponge on the Run" made this transition very seamless. It made the world of Bikini Bottom (and beyond it) feel familiar while making a much-needed evolution into the modern era. There will be moments of awe and wonder as the CGI visuals were very well-done. It certainly gave the same vibe as “Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse” if you’re familiar with that film. It also helps that the film was structured in such a way that for us, it felt very familiar to a television show episode more than the other films in the franchise. But sadly, this also made the narrative limited and not all that great. It had its emotional peaks but it was precisely formulaic, generic and ultimately bland and soulless most of the way. While it had cameos and inside jokes to make you laugh, it doesn't salvage the crippled writing. “Sponge on the Run” will certainly entertain younger audiences and longtime fans but it will be a danger zone for viewers that aren’t familiar with the material and viewers that are teens and older. But if you know what you’re getting into, "Sponge on the Run" fits the bill as a brainless time-waster.