Movie Muser

As an audience we mainly go to the cinema not just to see a film, but for an experience. For this preview screening I was greeted by bags of sweets, a photo booth, and people recreating Spongebob characters out of balloons.

This wasn’t a screening just for reviewers and I’m glad to say that there were a lot of families with kids there. I found this important to gauge an accurate audience reaction as this is essentially a kid’s film (although the show also appeals to glazed eyed teenagers).

For those of you who don’t know, Spongebob Squarepants lives in a pineapple under the sea. His best friends are Patrick, a dim witted starfish, and Gary, his pet snail who meows.

He works at The Krusty Krab, Bikini Bottom’s prime eatery, making Krabby Patties. Across the road is rival eatery The Chum Bucket, owned by Plankton who fiendishly tries to steal the secret formula which makes Krabby Patties.

This is the basis for most of the episodes that I have seen and the audience is told this trivial information early on in the film, so needless to say you don’t have to have seen any of the episodes or the earlier movie to get into and appreciate this film.

Plot wise we have a dastardly Pirate (Antonio Banderas) who uses a magic book to re-write the events of Bikini Bottom in order to steal the secret formula that makes Krabby Patties so tasty, and in turn open up his own burger van/ship.

Without the Krabby Patty holding together the ocean community, Bikini Bottom descends into a hilarious apocalypse complete with Mad Max 2 (1981) inspired costumes. Spongebob, along with Plankton, have to go on a time traveling quest to retrieve the formula, leading the primary cast to journey in to our world – all in 3D – and magically gain super powers to retrieve it.

Plot wise that’s it, but who cares? The trailer gives it all away and you can see the super-powered main ensemble on the film’s poster, so I’m not too worried about spoilers.

If you have seen the show you know the sort of randomness to expect and this is a film that confidently knows what it is and sticks to the show’s special formula (pun intended) to create some great laughs that make the most of its fairly simplistic plot.

There is no doubt that this is a kid’s film but some of the biggest laughs from the audience came from the adults. But this doesn’t have any jokes solely aimed at adults, such as Shrek (2001), and the humour is generally harmless, silly and very random.

Some of the jokes are quite clever, most are just silly puns and one-liners, my favourite being when our characters realise that they have to leave the ocean and one background fish says “Alright, all secondary characters, come with me”. It knows what it is and is playful.

One thing I do like about the show and this film are the varied animation techniques used throughout: CGI and stop motion along with various 2D animation styles. It was interesting to see the 2D animation viewed with 3D glasses, which still managed to be full of layers and depth. This is effective especially during the time travel segments and suits the random tone perfectly.

One issue with bringing any television show to the big screen is how to stretch out one episode (average Spongebob episode is 11 minutes) into a feature length film. It worked fine for the first movie, but this for me seemed like a film of two halfs, similar in narrative brakes as A Clockwork Orange (1971) or Full Metal Jacket (1987), where it shifts location halfway through. I must make it clear that I am not comparing those films to this one, although that would make an interesting article.

But this successfully works as a feature length movie and doesn’t drag, mostly due to the sheer amount of jokes and it is important for a kids’ film to hold a child’s attention.

Antonio Banderas is having a lot of fun in his role and it’s hard to applaud or criticise the rest of the voice talent as they are doing the same as they have done in the show. I don’t want to spoil it, but some well know British television stars lend their voices too. There is a song or two but this isn’t a Disney film. And be warned, there’s a strong chance that the audience will be singing along to the end credits.

I’m not sure if there will be a sequel, it’s been an 11 year gap since the last Spongebob movie, but I am confident that the show will continue. As with most non-syndicated television series, by the end of this film everything is back to normal and it plays on this generic convention.

It’s hard to judge this film. If you’re a fan of the show then this is a 4, as a family film this is a 3. You won’t really find anything new or ground-breaking, just silly fun.

Overall Verdict: A must see for Spongebob fans, and a fantastic family comedy for everyone else. Very silly but not a lot of depth (pun intended).

Reviewer: George Elcombe

After the success of Maleficent (2014) it’s little surprise that Disney is remaking some of their classic animated stories as live action movies. In a few years we will also have Beauty And The Beast and Tim Burton’s Dumbo (complete with a Danny Elfman soundtrack) and one day hopefully a version of Snow White where Peter Dinklage plays all the dwarfs.

To be honest though any studio can do these films as the stories are public domain (although Disney does like to bring in elements they have exclusive rights to due to them first appearing in their animated versions).

However what the other studios don’t have is the Disney magic.

Young Ella’s (Lily James) father remarries a wicked stepmother (Cate Blanchett), who then moves into Ella’s family home, bringing her cruel and spoilt daughters. When her father unexpectedly dies Ella is faced with a life of servitude at their hands.

One day Ella takes a trip to the woods and meets a charming young man who unbeknownst to her is a prince (Richard Madden). Smitten by her innocence and kindness he holds a ball that is open to all the young ladies of the land, with the prince hoping he will be reunited with Ella, however she is forbidden to attend by her stepmother.

At hopes end Cinders encounters her Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham-Carter) and I’m not sure if I should keep writing this synopsis as pretty much everyone knows this story!

Now I’m not a huge fan of fairy tales or Disney, although they do teach good moral messages to kids and in this film it’s the importance of kindness, courage and being seen as who you are.

I mainly wanted to review this film as I am a fan of its director, Kenneth Branagh. Check out any of his Shakespearean films or Thor (2011). Now it would be harsh and false to say that I had low expectations of this movie but I was very impressed and thoroughly enjoyed everything about it!

I liked the moral message of the film and the hope that good things happen to nice people. Cinderella is taken advantage of by her new family who, like many, mistake her kindness for weakness. Her new nickname (no spoilers to how she got it) has the power to hold her to a life of cruelty but she embraces it in the end and as such it loses its power of humiliation.

The real world isn’t like this but to be honest we would have a lot less problems if everyone was a bit nicer.

Which brings me to the wicked stepmother, fantastically played by Cate Blanchett, who channels the elegance of Hollywood’s leading ladies of the 1940’s, but equally channels their bitchiness.

Helena Bonham Carter is the opposite and is brief but excellent as the Fairy Godmother, creating a mixture of oddly otherworldliness and a bit of Joanna Lumley (teeth included).

I can’t really fault Richard Madden’s Prince Charming as he is the stereotypical prince who is following his heart and is a lot less broody than in Game of Thrones. No surprise as this story is at the other end of the fantasy spectrum.

Lily James is well cast not only as the beautiful princess to be, but channels her character’s struggles to just live a happy life. We feel Cinderella’s loneliness, alienation, loss and eventual joy as the film progresses, as her kindness is her biggest strength that overcomes her adversities. Paired with Madden they both share believable chemistry and won’t have you rolling your eyes as their relationship could have come across as cheap, camp or cheesy.

There are a few nice cameos and this does seem to be a who’s who of TV, especially from historical and fantasy dramas. The roles are all well-acted and a far cry from pantomime.

As expected we have a selection of photo realistic animal friends who all have their own character. When the Fairy Godmother uses her magic to make some of them human it produces some of the films funniest moments.

And this is a funny film. There is a lot of humour throughout and it helps balance its light-hearted tone. The overall pace is great and it doesn’t sag or feel rushed. The dramatic bits are done well with well-timed pauses for reflection. There isn’t much action but a thrilling scene involving a certain pumpkin carriage had the audience applauding by the end, reminiscent of some spectacular moments from Steven Spielberg or Peter Jackson films.

Cinematography wise most shots look like a painting and we are treated to a wealth of colours. I’m quite glad that this film wasn’t in 3D as a lot of the films look would have been lost due to the dark glasses. The set design is fantastic and as expected the costumes and hair are great. Unfortunately this is released just after the Oscars so I doubt it will receive any nominations next spring.

The soundtrack is pitch-perfect for this fairy-tale. Thankfully for me they didn’t break out into song, although the phrase ‘Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo’ is well used.

It’s human nature to be uncomfortable with the new, which is why most of the films in your local multiplex are either sequels or parts of franchises. People like seeing what they have seen before but dressed slightly differently. The difficulty filmmakers have is to disguise this and make it unique.

Thankfully this is a film that successfully sets itself apart from all other fantasy films I have seen. This film is hard to fault for what it is, and it is an excellent benchmark for others to follow.

Overall Verdict: A funny, charming and well-crafted film. Full of hope and proves that the Disney magic is definitely alive and well.

Reviewer: George Elcombe