The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
Paramount Pictures | Release Date (Streaming): March 4, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
4
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriMar 12, 2021
Utterly demented and magnificent. Read full review
88
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeFeb 28, 2021
This time around, writer-director Tim Hill steps in, and he’s managed to take the goofy denizens of Bikini Bottom on a road trip that is visually dazzling and almost consistently hilarious, mixing verbal and physical humor, as well as some perfectly chosen cameos, both in-person and among the voice cast. Read full review
80
TimeStephanie ZacharekMar 5, 2021
The movie is an act of loony generosity we shouldn’t refuse. This is ludicrous entertainment for frazzled times. Read full review
80
Paste MagazineTara BennettMar 2, 2021
Does it push the sponge forward? Probably not, and that’s ok. There’s something timeless about Bikini Bottom remaining as it is, with spin-offs and new series serving as the appropriate playgrounds for new outlets of storytelling. Sponge on the Run lovingly splits the difference, but doesn’t take anything away from what many know and love. Read full review
80
VarietyOwen GleibermanFeb 27, 2021
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is a capricious and touching surrealist kiddie ride that, in its sugar-high way, is as much a celebration of friendship as the “Toy Story” films. Read full review
75
Original-CinThom ErnstFeb 27, 2021
It works as a buddy road movie (as is Patrick’s argument) and as a hero’s quest (as SpongeBob argues). Either way, there is not a lot of twists and turns complicating matters, save for one outrageous side-trip. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKimber MyersMar 3, 2021
This trip is filled with goofy fun, though it wanders enough to occasionally test the attention spans of those neither young enough nor high enough to be in the film’s target audience. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 2, 2021
SpongeBob, in whatever form it takes, does one thing and does it really well: absurdist humor with a sweet center. I’m hesitant to ever say that this-and-such thing is “what we need right now,” so I won’t say that about the film. But I will say that SpongeBob is what we need all the time. The more the merrier. Read full review
70
IGNKristy PuchkoFeb 27, 2021
While it's not as wonderfully weird as it could have been, the latest SpongeBob movie still delivers silly, family fun. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyFeb 27, 2021
The frenetic plot makes about as much sense as it needs to within this world of slapstick insanity, random detours, crazy chases, gambling fever and a talent quest for "the coveted Campy Award." You'll either give in to it, or you won't. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMar 4, 2021
Sweet, silly, with that profoundly bizarre world view that makes a snail trail gag open to everyone for a laugh, this may not change SpongeBob forever, but it's more SpongeBob as we love him, and that's all the fun you can need. Read full review
67
IndieWireDavid EhrlichFeb 27, 2021
Sponge on the Run sprints by too fast to dwell on the moments when it runs out of breath, and the mad science that Hillenburg first experimented with on “Rocko’s Modern Life” still draws from such a textured palette of sweet insanity that you can’t help but keep watching. Read full review
65
PolygonSiddhant AdlakhaMar 4, 2021
While this movie may feel like a Simpsons-esque case of a series failing to recapture lost grandeur, the result is still mile-a-minute fun if you can keep past expectations out of sight and out of mind. Or… you could just watch the first film again. Read full review
58
ConsequenceJesse HassengerMar 2, 2021
SpongeBob fans of all ages will find plenty to like about Sponge On the Run: It’s funny, well-animated, and high-spirited. But it’s ultimately more of a franchise play than a creative endeavor. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyFeb 27, 2021
There are too many montages and musical numbers that seem to be searching for a punchline. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireMar 4, 2021
Stretched out to 90 minutes in Sponge on the Run, the pacing lags, the goofiness sags, and you discover over time that there’s not much holding these antics together. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleZaki HasanMar 1, 2021
Sponge on the Run is very much a members-only affair. Then again, three movies and several hundred TV episodes into a 22-year-old franchise, it’s not unreasonable to think the audience for this adventure is pretty well baked into the cake. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineDan RubinsFeb 28, 2021
If the SpongeBob franchise has finally gone on the run, it seems like it’s left the audience that matters most in the dust. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Aparita BhandariAug 13, 2020
However, for me and my two kids (aged 10 and eight), this dive into the deep sea wasn’t as thrilling an adventure as we’d hoped for. Read full review
30
The New York TimesMaya PhillipsMar 4, 2021
“Sponge on the Run” may take us back under the sea, but this sponge is all dried up. Read full review
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