<P> On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 69% based on 127 reviews and an average score of 6.2 / 10 . The site's consensus read, "Surreally goofy and entertaining for both children and their parents ." Metacritic gave the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on reviews from 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". According to CinemaScore, audiences gave the film a grade of "B +" on an A+ to F scale . </P> <P> Roger Ebert, in his review for the Chicago Sun - Times </P> <P> Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, calling it "the' Good Burger' of animation...plopping us down inside a fast - food war being fought by sponges, starfish, crabs, tiny plankton and mighty King Neptune ." Ed Park of The Village Voice wrote, "No Pixar? No problem! An unstoppable good - mood generator, the resolutely 2 - D (The) SpongeBob SquarePants Movie has more yuks than Shark Tale and enough soul to swallow The Polar Express whole ." Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, calling it "an animated adventure that's funnier than Shark Tale and more charming than The Polar Express ." Randy Cordova of The Arizona Republic said, "Like the TV show it's based on, it's a daffy, enjoyable creation ." Jami Bernard of the New York Daily News gave the feature a score of three out of four: "It's not The Incredibles, or one of those animated features that spent zillions on character design, pedigree and verisimilitude . But SpongeBob is a sweet, silly thing with a child - friendly esthetic all its own ." Will Lawrence of Empire gave the film four out of five stars, calling it "a film for kids, students, stoners, anyone who enjoys a break from reality ." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B - minus grade: "The best moments in his (SpongeBob SquarePants) first movie outing are those that feel most TV - like, just another day in the eternally optimistic undersea society created with such contagious silliness by Stephen Hillenburg ." Desson Thomson of The Washington Post enjoyed the film: "You gotta love SpongeBob . Coolest sponge in the sea, although this one has a suspiciously manufactured look ." </P> <P> Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie retains the 2 - D charm of the hugely popular Nickelodeon cartoon but adds a few tricks--a little 3 - D here, a little David Hasselhoff there . The series' appeal never lay in its visuals, however .' SpongeBob' endeared itself to kids and adults through sweetness and cleverness, also abundant here ." A.O. Scott of The New York Times gave it a score of four out of five: "If you're tired of...bluster and swagger, SpongeBob is your man ." Tom Maurstad of The Dallas Morning News also gave the film a B - minus grade: "Being so good is what led to making the movie, and it's also the reason that many small - screen episodes are better than this big - screen venture ." </P>

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