Throw this one back into the sea
Spongebob Squarepants, the animated series, is a rare Nickelodeon show that appeals to both kids and adults. Younger viewers enjoy the slapstick humour and madcap underwater characters while those who are a decade or two older get a kick out of the sly in-jokes that those under 10 are unlikely to appreciate.
Sadly, the rib-tickling antics of Spongebob and his pals have never translated well to the movie format. The hyperactive silliness of the series becomes wearying when spread out over 90 minutes, with only the most faithful Spongebob fan likely to stay focused on the prolonged craziness that plays out on the screen.
This is especially true of Saving Bikini Bottom, which has arrived on Netflix in the middle of the school summer holidays. It might be a godsend for parents wanting to keep their children entertained for half a morning but in all honesty, viewers of all ages really deserve better than this.
On the plus side, the 3D animation is bright and colourful so it’s certainly eye-catching. That being said, it does have a plasticky feel that is rather cheap-looking, so it’s more akin to the kind of CGI you’d see on a Saturday morning kids show than a feature film with the spending power of Netflix and Nickelodeon behind it.
In terms of story, it’s all rather basic. The film follows Spongebob and his friend Sandy the Squirrel (who can somehow live underwater) as they try to save Bikini Bottom from the evil machinations of a crazed scientist (Wanda Sykes) named Sue Nahmee (do you see what they did there?).
For reasons that are too nonsensical to explain (they are literally rather fishy), Sue wants revenge on marine life, which is why she scoops Spongebob’s town away and plops it into her research laboratory. Together with her two underlings, she sets about her wicked scheme, though she’s furious that one particular town resident is missing from the underwater settlement.
That resident is Spongebob, who is visiting Texas with Sandy on a journey to meet her circus family. Along the way, they meet an outlaw gang of snakes, experience the harsh climate of the desert (Spongebob becomes horribly dehydrated), and end up at a holiday resort where silly antics ensue. Eventually, they set about rescuing their friends – Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs et al – but you may have tuned out of the movie by this point if you have grown tired of the poop and fart jokes and other such lame attempts at humour.
The movie’s only saving grace is Wanda Sykes who does what she can with the villainous role she has been handed. This isn’t to say she has anything remotely interesting or funny to say, but she’s a talented performer who can save even the most unfunniest of comedies (Snatched, License to Wed) from complete disaster. Saving Bikini Bottom is arguably her worst film but we can at least be thankful that she shows more enthusiasm in her role than the other live-action actors who have been given less to work with than she has.
As can be expected by now, the mix of live animation and CGI does not work very well. Very few movies have pulled this off successfully, which is a surprise considering the advances in special effects technology. As such, it might be time to pull the plug on any future live-action/animation hybrids until filmmakers can figure out a way to create a movie that is far more convincing than Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, and all the other mashup movies that have stunk up our screens in recent years.
Saving Bikini Bottom is a mostly witless affair that only younger children will enjoy. Anybody else will likely feel patronised by the lazy writing and cheap production values. As such, this is one movie you can safely avoid, unless you’re forced to watch it with those younger members of your family who will watch anything with Spongebob in it, no matter how awful it might be.
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Verdict - 3.5/10
3.5/10