Search - SpongeBob SquarePants: Season Five, Vol. 1 on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 3/7/2023...

Great fun for the whole family!

"From your pickles to your buns, it ain't even funny"--Spong

mwreview | Northern California, USA | 01/19/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I rarely watch SpongeBob Squarepants on TV, so usually the first time I see the episodes is when they're released on DVD. I read some of the poor reviews of this set and thought the show would probably be better than they suggested. I thought wrong. There really is some magic lost in this season. There are some flashes of the usual brilliance here and there but, mostly, these episodes are forgettable. They sometimes take an idea and push it to the absurdly extreme ("Night Light," "Rise and Shine," "Spy Buddies"). Also, some seem a lot shorter than the others. A good sign for the next volume is that Disc 2 is much better than Disc 1, which indicates improvement during the season. I'll definitely be checking out Volume 2.

Disc 1 (2 stars):
"Friend or Foe" (2-parter)--Mr. Krabs tells a tale of when he and Plankton were adolescent chums picked on by their classmates and how they came up with the idea to start a hamburger joint. Cute but that stupid Patchy the Pirate keeps showing up.
"The Original Fry Cook"--SpongeBob meets Mr. Krabs's first fry cook, Jim, who makes patties so good they take SB on a spiritual journey (what was in those patties, anyway? The flashbacks do look like they were set in the '60s...hmmmm). Feeling inferior, SB resigns, but Jim explains why SB is actually the best fry cook for Mr. Krabs. This episode is unrealistic. How can anyone be a better fry cook than SB? Just watch "SB v. the Patty Gadget."
"Night Light"--After reading a scary story, SB becomes afraid of the dark and uses so many night lights he summons Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and a fiendish moth. This episode is very annoying.
"Rise and Shine"--Observe a typical Patrick morning. This episode is totally lame! We all know Patrick is a moron but come on! His stupidity here is bordering on the ridiculous! It also seems very short but, for this episode, that's probably a good thing.
"Waiting"--After sending in 99 Kelpo box tops for a prize, SB becomes obsessed with waiting for his free toy to arrive in the morning. Not very good, except for the Patrick/gift/cake/fork bit.
"Fungus Among Us"--SB gets the ick and infects the entire Krusty Krab. Gross.

"Spy Buddies"--Mr. Krabs hires Patrick and SB as spies to watch Plankton's inevitable next scheme. The ending of this one is a little much.
"Boat Smarts"--An instructional film from Mrs. Puff showing a driver with boat smarts (Squidward) and a driver without boat smarts (SpongeBob). For once, SW is the positive example; however, in this film, I think it would be better to be the driver without the boat smarts as the one with them keeps getting into accidents.
"Good Ol' Whatshisname"--Mr. Krabs creates a contest to see which employee can learn the names of all the Krusty Krab customers. The prize being a cruise, Squidward, for once, is a willing participant. SB, of course, already knows all the customers' names; SW has to resort to more unorthodox measures. One of the better episodes, but I'm a little puzzled by the ending. How did Patrick end up behind bars?
"New Digs"--Was something cut from this ep? SB trips because he put his eye blinders on before racing to bed and, in the next scene, he shoots into bed with no comment. Anyway, SB oversleeps and clocks into work late. SB, of course, is devastated and decides to live at the Krusty Krab: a dream come true for SW but not for Krabs or his customers.
"Krabs A La Mode"--Mr. Krabs won't let anyone turn up his thermostat, so Plankton creates a freeze at the Krusty Krab, but they use the icey conditions to make money another way.

Disc 2 (4 stars):
"Roller Cowards"--SB and Patrick are afraid to ride Glove World's new sensation: the Fiery Fist O Pain, but both are ashamed to admit it. The mascot of Glove World is called "Glovey Glove"--I think the writers are starting to lose some of their creativity. Good episode, though.
"Bucket Sweet Bucket"--Plankton gets SB, Patrick and even Squidward to renovate the Chum Bucket while Plankton goes after what he really wants. I like how Squidward painted the restaurant.
"Breath of Fresh Squidward"--SW gets so mad at his neighbors he installs an electric fence around his house. He, of course, gets shocked and turns into a friendly, work-loving chum who makes SB jealous.
"To Love a Patty"--SB makes the perfect Krabby Patty, falls in love, and spends all his time with "her" even as "she" rots. A shower cap on a Krabby Patty??? You've got to be kidding!
"SpongeBob Versus the Patty Gadget"--Patchy the Pirate (actually tolerable here) tells a story--in Dr. Seuss-like style--about SB competing against a patty-making machine built by Squidward. I like the line "The crowd was impressed, they cheered full of glee. All except Patrick who had to go pee." This episode, while short, is pretty funny.
"Money Talks"--Mr. Krabs's wish comes true: he can talk to money. Be careful what you wish for!
"Slimy Dancing"--Squidward thinks he's a shoe-in to win a dance competition. When he doesn't make the cut, he takes over SpongeBob's body (SB is a sponge, afterall).
"The Krusty Sponge"--Food critic Gene Scallop--who looks suspiciously like Today show's film/book critic Gene Shalit--reports on the Krusty Krab and praises SpongeBob. Mr. Krabs decides to market SB by using his image on everything (hmmmm, sounds familiar).
"Sing a Song of Patrick"--Patrick writes a song and SB helps him get it on the radio. Actually, this episode does not work on my disc. Did anyone else have that problem?
"

Good, but the directors got bored

Barbara J. Baker | Los Angeles, CA USA | 08/09/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I loved the earlier seasons, and I'm ok with this new one, but the new episodes are not as clever as the first episodes in the first seasons. The new ones arn't as funny, the story lines arn't as good, and they have gotten WAY more childish, sadly. Also, my problem is that the new episodes have these stupid sing along songs much to frequently. SB used to be like a child/immature adult show. Now it's faded into one of those new Nick show types for babies. It's better than any other cartoon on Nick, but season 5, or maybe 6, will probably be the ending for the SB franchise.

When I buy the seasons, one by one, I will make sure to get this season because I love the show as a whole. But this season is definetly not as superior as seasons 1, 2, or 3.



"

Funny Sponge

Michael Kerner | Brooklyn, New York U.S.A. | 09/08/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When it comes to cartoons these days, the classics seem to be often overlooked, but for Nicekeloden, they've really brought out the best in animation from shows like Jimmy Neutron, The Fairly Odd Parents, and especially Spongebob Squarepants. Nevertheless, the cartoons keep showing just how much fun the show has maintained its joy for so many viewers young and old alike. The past several seasons have brought out some great moments for our favorite freinds from Bikini Bottom, and with its latest round of shows finally on DVD, it is sure to please even more joy for Spongebob fans.

Spongebob Squarepants Season 5, Volume 1 is the first half of Spongebob and his friends Patrick, Squidward through some of the most interesting cartoons ever. The DVD has been remastered well, and includes some of the latest chapters in Spongebob's life including Slimy dancing, where Spongebob, and Squidward enter a dance competition with Squidward placing himself inside of Spongebob, and tries to dance to win the trophy, after being originally rejected for the contest. Another great episode, Friend Or Foe?, looks back at the origin of why Plankton and Mr. Krabs originally became rivals, after being rejected for food at a local take out joint, and try to develop what becomes the krabby patty. Although the episodes miss out at times with what Spongebob had sucessfully made then, considering there are more cartoons at a shorter time, they are still a lot of fun to watch.

All in all, I loved watching a lot of the new shows Spongebob Squarepants have aired, and they are just a true delight. But, some newcomers might be a bit dissapointed, hoping for more shows like the previous complete 1st, 2nd and 3rd seasons brought out on DVD. Still, if you haven't seen Spongebob yet on Nickelodeon, you may want to watch these and enjoy the laughter.

Shows: B-

Price: C+

Extras: B

Overall: B-"