THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE

It has arrived.

I've been reading some reviews for this film (almost all of which are positive, by the way), and I'm thrilled to see how many of them had never seen SpongeBob before, and after seeing this film couldn't believe they hadn't. Me, I've been a SpongeBob fan for a long time now. And this movie...this movie is a dream come true.

After the amazing opening sequence (to spoil it would be a sin, even though I know most of you will never see this movie), the movie does drag for a good fifteen minutes. Throughout those fifteen minutes, I wondered just how good this would really be, and was sure they'd just showed all the good parts in the trailer. But then SpongeBob and Patrick get wasted at a bar. No, not a bar with beer...it's a kids movie. At a place called Goofy Goober, whose mascot is a singing peanut. And they get wasted on ice cream. As with everything in the film, it executes better than it sounds.

And after that, there were few times I stopped laughing. The visuals took a bit of getting used to (there's always a shift of animation style from small screen to big), but worked just as well on the big screen. In fact, it worked better (the animators really used that bigger budget), ESPECIALLY with Plankton. See, Plankton is actually a plankton, only he desires to rule the world. And man, the animators went to TOWN on this guy. His every movement is some extension of himself, and I loved this guy more than normal (and I've always loved him). Doug Lawrence, as with the rest of the cast, did some steller work here.

And really, if you ever watch this, I think you'll be surprised and awed at just how grown-up the script is. SpongeBob getting wasted is the big one, but there's all the little jokes that me, Spencer, Tyler Vranizan, and Pat were laughing to that the six-year-olds who surrounded us weren't (they...pretty much got the butt humor). Many a strange look were thrown our way.

But, of course, it wasn't too grown up. It's still a cartoon, and that's still why I love it. There's still a scene where SpongeBob and Patrick are crying so much that they shoot water from their eyes into the other's mouth. But then there's that scene at the end where SpongeBob launches into an 80's-style rock video, complete with Patrick in fishnet stockings. It really has to be seen to be believed.

But seriously...I know SpongeBob isn't for everything, and that's a damn shame. But if it weren't for The Incredibles (which was perfect), this would be the best animated film of the year. So if you're a fan of animation, or just comedy in general (and by "fan of comedy," I mean comedy in ALL its forms, so long as it's done well), you will LOVE this film. I know I did.

Oh, and I saw it at the new Century 16, which is a NICE theater. We were at the end of the hall, in a rather small theater, but it all looked kinda jammed in there, so I don't know if they even have a giant theater. But we'll find out. The seats weren't as comfy as I'd hoped...Regal still has them beat there. But stadium seating is enough to make it the best mainstream theater around. Fox Tower is still the best theater overall.