Featured TV on DVD Review: SpongeBob SquarePants: Triton's Revenge

July 13, 2010

SpongeBob SquarePants: Triton's Revenge - Buy from Amazon

The number of SpongeBob SquarePants DVDs that have been released is hard to count. There have been best-of sets, single-disc semi-chronological releases, split-season sets, full-season sets, even a Megaset. The latest release is another single-disc semi-chronological release calledTriton's Revenge, which consists of episodes from the first part of season seven, starting with the double-length episode...

  1. The Clash of the Triton
    It's King Neptune's 5000th birthday, but he's disappointed because his son, Triton, won't be spending it with him. His son never understood his position as a god and instead of lording over the mortals, he wanted to be more like the mortals. So to teach him a lesson, he locks him away. When SpongeBob hears this, he decides to free Triton so he can attend the party. This is a great plan, except Triton is more than a little pissed that his father locked him away and he wants revenge.
    The DVD starts off with a strong episode. It helps that it is a double-length episode and it can therefore develop a story as well as provide humor. I understand that SpongeBob is known for its goofy silliness, but having a plot every once and a while helps.
  2. Sand Castles in the Sand
    Speaking of silliness... SpongeBob and Patrick head to the beach and decide to make sand castles. SpongeBob decides to help Patrick, but instead starts a fight, a fight that accelerates to pure absurdity.
    The episode is 10% setup and 90% sight gags. However, the creativity of the sight gags make this one of the best episodes on the DVD.
  3. Shell Shocked
    SpongeBob accidentally breaks Gary's shell and tries to replace it, but that proves difficult. He eventually makes his way to Angry Jack's Shell Emporium to find a new shell, one that SpongeBob won't break. This is a hard task.
    Another episode that is 10% setup and 90% gags, but unlike the previous episode, there is a sense of repetitiveness found here. It's not a bad episode -- in fact, it's probably in the top third of the episodes I've reviewed. It's just that it has a similar style to the previous episode, but it is too repetitive.
  4. Chum Bucket Supreme
    Plankton decides it's time to advertise. Actually, it's Karen's idea. His ideas are too intellectual to work ("Chum is Metabolic Fuel") but when Patrick's dumb idea works ("Chum is Fum") Mr. Krab is determined to find out why Plankton has costumers and how to stop it.
    This is a plot-driven episode that takes a familiar theme (Plankton's competition with Mr. Krabs) and does something unique with it (he's not going after the secret recipe). That little twist is enough to lift it above the norm.
  5. Single Cell Anniversary
    It's Plankton and Karen's anniversary, but Plankton forgot. In order to get his anniversary gift, he has to get Karen a gift from his heart. Normally he just wouldn't care, but Karen's gift to him is the secret recipe for the Krabby Patty. Fortunately, he gets the help of SpongeBob and Patrick... You don't hear that phrase very often.
    See the commentary from Chum Bucket Supreme. This episode has a very familiar theme, but tackles it from a different angle and that helps.
  6. Tentacle-Vision
    Squidward's favorite public access TV show is canceled and he decides to do the only logical thing to do is to make his own show. But when SpongeBob finds out he has a TV show, you know that it will turn sour.
    This is a very predictable show. You know right from the start that: One, SpongeBob et al will run havoc over the show; two, the resulting show will be a big hit; and three, Squidward will be fired from his own show. However, how these events unfold and the rising level of stupidity is great. One of the best episodes from recent years. The way the characters keep piling into Squidward's show is very funny.
  7. I Heart Dancing
    SpongeBob has a chance to become a professional dancer, but Squidward is determined to ruin his chances and take his place.
    ... And the DVD ends with a miss. It's not really a miss, but it's not a hit either, it's just mediocre. Again, we've seen similar ideas used before, but there's little in the episode to make it stand out, while the payoff isn't enough at the end to save it. That said, going six for seven is still a great hit ratio.
Extras on the DVD include two short promos for The Clash of the Triton, which is mostly forgettable. On the other hand, the bonus episode, the pilot episode for Fanboy & Chum Chum, is less forgettable, but in a bad way. This show is awful. It features two of the most annoying characters I've seen on TV in a while, and the jokes are bad, the animation looks cheap, and it is just plain bad. A kids show shouldn't make you want to punch your TV.

The Verdict

SpongeBob SquarePants: Triton's Revenge has a much better hit to miss ratio than most of these DVD releases have usually. It has had extras, including a bonus episode from the new show, Fanboy & Chum Chum. However, that show is terrible, and the full-season set of SpongeBob will likely be the much better deal.

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