Every now and then, there?s a film that completely catches you by surprise, challenging your assumptions and touching the deepest parts of your soul.
Then there?s SpongeBob SquarePants: Sponge Out of Water.
Things are going very well in Bikini Bottom for the young man who lives in a pineapple under the sea until the secret recipe for Krabby Patties mysteriously disappears. When the people wrongly blame Plankton for the misdeed, SpongeBob jumps to his defense and the two set out to determine the identity of the real thief before Bikini Bottom unravels into madness. (No, that term is not over-exaggerating. Soon after the recipe disappears, the town looks as though it has been hit by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.)
As for whether or not the film is good, the interesting thing is that you?ve likely already decided your answer. If you?re a fan of the show, you?ll definitely enjoy it. The film keeps the same tone of random humor as the series. (Where else can you get a time-travelling dolphin, an apocalyptic prophet squirrel and Antonia Banderas in the same movie?) If you?re not a fan, there isn?t anything here that will win over a new audience. I will even admit that I did laugh in several places, especially when the crew finally reaches the surface.
Of course, for our purposes, the most important question is whether or not there is anything particularly spiritual inherent to this film. The answer is simple.
Nope.
Okay, perhaps that?s not entirely fair. (Still, when a film displays the apocalypse begins as a result of a shortage of hamburgers, one probably isn?t going to unlock the theological secrets of the universe.) If there?s anything to take away from the film, it?s SpongeBob himself. As always, SpongeBob seems to be the emotional glue that keeps the people of Bikini Bottom together. His constant positive attitude and decision to always see the best in people (even Plankton) is reminiscent of the impact that one who?s living for Christ has on those around them. When Christ enters the room, people are changed.
But, honestly, that?s about it.
In the end, the film offers you all the craziness and insanity that you?d expect from this franchise. SpongeBob charms, Plankton attacks with every device you can imagine, and Patrick? well? Patrick? If this is something you?re excited about, I invite you to sit back and enjoy.
To the rest of you, I?d like to paraphrase Plankton by saying that the film truly is ?[90 minutes] of your life you?ll never get back??
