Featured TV on DVD Review: SpongeBob SquarePants: Heroes of Bikini Bottom

June 11, 2011

SpongeBob SquarePants: Heroes of Bikini Bottom - Buy from Amazon

The latest SpongeBob SquarePants DVD, Heroes of Bikini Bottom, features not one, but two story focusing on the greatest super heroes of Bikini Bottom, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy! So let's get right to the action.

The Show

  1. Back to the Past
    After SpongeBob and Patrick help Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy push their invisible boat back to their secret lair, the two super heroes show them their hall of memorabilia, which includes a time machine. They did warn them not to touch anything, but almost immediately Patrick sends them back in time where they meet Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy in their prime. But when SpongeBob and Patrick change the past, they have to go back and fix their mistake.
    The DVD starts off with a great short that not only includes two of the best recurring characters in the series, but also has a fun time travel story that is taken well past the point of absurdity.
  2. The Bad Guy Club for Villains
    In a lost episode of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, the super hero pair fight a team of super villains that includes the Man Ray, Dirty Bubble, Sinister Slug, and others. In order to prevail, they will need to form a team of their own.
    We rarely get to see Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy in their prime, so seeing back-to-back episodes featuring them is a treat. Plus, we get to see a ton of super heroes and super villains.
  3. Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful
    Squidward is having such a good day, till he gets gum stuck to the bottom of his foot, but when he gets rid of it, he's blamed by the cops for littering and sentenced to community service. Now he has to clean up all of Bikini Bottom.
    Not quite as good as the first two and it drags a little too much. Not a bad episode, but merely average.
  4. A Pal for Gary
    SpongeBob's worried about leaving Gary, his pet snail, home alone while he works. So he buys a second pet to keep Gary company. But he accidentally buys some strange monster than tries to attack Gary.
    Not much of a plot, but it gives the artists a chance to get creative... and weird.
  5. Yours, Mine and Mine
    When SpongeBob and Patrick share a Kute Kraby Patty (30% less, for only $1 more) they get a toy, but will they learn to share?
    Another one-joke episode, but it does have very high energy to go along with that joke.
  6. Kracked Krabs
    Mr. Krabs is up for an award at the Cheapest Krab Convention, but he will have tough competition. In fact, the competition is so tough that he gets SpongeBob to lie for him about how cheap he is.
    It's quite funny seeing Mr. Krabs interact with others just like him. It is also funny to watch Mr. Krabs trying to teach SpongeBob how to be cheap.
  7. A Day Without Tears
    It's been a sad day for SpongeBob and everything is making him cry: stubbing his toe, ripping his shirt, listening to sad song on the radio. It's driving Squidward mad, so he makes a bet with SpongeBob that SpongeBob can't go an entire day without crying. If Squidward wins, SpongeBob has to do yardwork for Squidward for a year. But if SpongeBob wins, Squidward has to spend the night at SpongeBob's for a sleepover party.
    This episode is a little too repetitive to reach its potential, but it still has several fun jokes.
  8. Summer Job
    While trying to escape from SpongeBob, Mrs. Puff crashes into the Krusty Krab. In order to pay for the damages, without getting the authorities involved, she's forced to work for Mr. Krabs... and that means working with SpongeBob the entire summer. Working with SpongeBob, or going to jail. Tough call.
    The only thing worse than trying to teach SpongeBob is to be taught by him. This creates a lot of opportunity for laughter.

The Extras

The extras start with a trio of 30-second previews for Back to the Past. Plus there's bonus episode of T.U.F.F. Puppy. I'm still not sold on the show, but I've only seen a couple episodes.

The Verdict

Comparing the hits to the misses, SpongeBob SquarePants: Heroes of Bikini Bottom earns a score of five to three, which is enough for a recommendation. However, it is very likely that the season set will have a lot better price-per-minute, so you might want to hold off buying for now and stick with a rental.


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