Tales from
the Deep,
the previous SpongeBob DVD release, included only a few pretty
good episodes, however, Lost at Sea improves on this and
nearly every episode of this new release is pretty good. As with
Tales, Lost features episodes selected at random.
However, now I don’t think this is such a bad thing. I was
somehow distracted by this randomness, but now I realize that it
isn’t anything to argue about. The important thing for a show
like this is the quality of the episodes and Lost at Sea
delivers the goods.
I’ve never
seen SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon, but I’m
getting into the groove now, especially with the two releases
mentioned above. SpongeBob lives underwater in a place called
Bikini Bottom and each day presents a new adventure or
misfortune. With a stellar writing team, SpongeBob SquarePants
is a funny show with style and great wit.
Here’s a
breakdown of all nine episodes included on this DVD.
The
Sponge Who Could Fly – This double-length episodes starts
off well and sets the quality for what is to come next. In this
one, Patchy the Pirate must locate the "lost" SpongeBob episode
and goes nuts during his search (especially when he finally
finds it and only sees SpongeBob walking down a long path –
quite the hilarious bit). In any case, this episode is what
makes the show so funny and witty.
Some of
the other very funny episodes include Plankton (in which
Bob’s mind is controlled by a rival burger maniac), Boating
School (in which Patrick helps Bob to cheat on the driving
test), Suds (in which Bob becomes very sick and Patrick
acts as the doctor), Bubble Buddy (in which a bubble
becomes Bob’s new friend and Bikini Bottom’s new shiny enemy),
and Your Shoe’s Untied (in which Bob keeps falling on his
face because he forgot how to tie his shoelaces, not to mention
the one’s belonging to Patrick). Mermaidman and Barnacleboy II,
The Chaperone, and PreHibernation Week were
decent.
8 out of 10
The
Video
As with
Tales, Lost at Sea features a pretty decent transfer.
While I don’t consider this anything special, this release
improves slightly and it might be the cause of the quality of
the episodes (which are all presented in full screen). Since
this is a cartoon show, I didn’t notice any scratches or color
problems. Enough said.
8 out of 10
The
Audio
Granted,
SpongeBob SquarePants doesn’t rely too much on audio quality and neither
does this DVD release. As was pointed out to me earlier last
month, there is no need for a great audio quality such as 5.1,
because the Dolby Digital included here makes for a fine sit.
7 out of 10
The
Extras
Audio
Commentary on "The Sponge Who Could Fly" – It’s good to hear
someone from the creative side talking about this show.
"The
Sponge Who Could Fly" Storyboard – If filmmaking or cartooning
is your place of interest, this addition to the special
features is for you.
SpongeBob’s 7 Life Strategies – This little feature is pretty
funny despite its with and simplicity. I’m not sure the exact
reason this is here, but it’s pretty inventive nonetheless.
6 out of 10
Overall
There is
not much else to say than Lost at Sea is an improvement over
Tales from the Deep. Give this release a consideration
when making your rounds at the retailer store or a definitive
if going to a video store.
