Critics Scoreboard
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Average Critic Score:
66
(32 sources)
66
(32 sources)
-
100
Christian Science Monitor
The delights of the movie lie in its zany characters, its goofy settings, and above all its surrealistic visual style. Read Full Review » -
90
The Hollywood Reporter
The result is an animated adventure that's funnier than "Shark Tale" and more charming than "The Polar Express." Read Full Review » -
80
The New York Times
The movie itself triumphs by similar means; it is a marvel of unleashed childishness, like a birthday party on the edge of spinning out of control. Read Full Review » -
80
LA Weekly
The movie is driven almost entirely by its exhilaratingly subversive characters. Read Full Review » -
80
Los Angeles Times
Its instinctive, unstoppable cheerfulness can be, as all those millions of viewers have found, something of a tonic if you're in the mood. Read Full Review » -
80
Salon.com
The brilliance of The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie -- as well as the show -- is that it's cognizant without being self-consciously knowing. Read Full Review » -
75
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75
New York Daily News
It won't cure the ills of the world, but it doesn't need to. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is adorable in its own spongy way. Read Full Review » -
75
Philadelphia Inquirer
The trippy creation of onetime marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg, SpongeBob is a cockeyed optimist toiling at the bottom of the fast-food chain. Read Full Review » -
75
New York Post
Full of action and silliness that will delight rug rats, but it's still hip and absurd enough to entertain grown-ups, too. Read Full Review » -
75
Boston Globe
The film, which is as economically made as it is primitively animated, ambles from adventure to adventure, taking nothing seriously, not even itself. Read Full Review » -
75
Chicago Sun-Times
Assuming that few members of SpongeBob's primary audience are reading this (or can read), all I can tell you is, the movie is likely to be more fun than you expect. Read Full Review » -
70
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70
Slate
I like my SpongeBob a little less lumbering, a little more free-associational, without that big, heavy anchor of a story structure to weigh him down. Read Full Review » -
70
Variety
Possesses charm, as well as visual and musical appeal, on the bigscreen. But as with many short-form TV entities when sextupled in length, "SpongeBob" proves more palatable as scrumptious fast food than full-scale repast. Read Full Review » -
70
Dallas Observer
The central theme of the movie is the pure joy the cartoon takes in childishness. Read Full Review » -
70
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70
Village Voice
An unstoppable good-mood generator, the resolutely 2-D SpongeBob SquarePants Movie has more yuks than "Shark Tale" and enough soul to swallow "The Polar Express" whole. Read Full Review » -
67
Portland Oregonian
Spins a complete, thoroughly satisfying yarn from a short-form series. Read Full Review » -
67
Entertainment Weekly
The best moments in his first movie outing are those that feel most TV-like, just another day in the eternally optimistic undersea society. Read Full Review » -
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Truth be told, the full 99-minute movie does not entirely hold water; it feels like three or four good episodes connected with plot padding. Aesop probably wasn't too hot at long-form fiction, either. Read Full Review » -
63
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60
Wall Street Journal
The movie is much too long, but mostly, and sometimes very, entertaining. Read Full Review » -
60
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's all innocuous, forgettable fun, but it's firmly aimed at those who find underwear endlessly funny. Read Full Review » -
58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Works best when it devotes itself to the small group of main characters featured on the show. Read Full Review » -
50
Chicago Tribune
If your kid has SpongeBob SquarePants underwear, it's a good bet she or he will relish The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Read Full Review » -
50
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50
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50
Chicago Reader
Washes onto the big screen with a tide of weak one-liners, exaggerated reactions, and vaguely nauseating gags. Read Full Review » -
50
Premiere
Those who have never seen the series should either swim rapidly in the other direction or be willing to dive right in and suspend disbelief about the multitude of things that just don't make sense. Read Full Review » -
40
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38
Charlotte Observer
Everything about the film seems to have been done on the cheap. The music sounds like it came from a high school band. Read Full Review »
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