The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On the Run review: a recycled episode, familiar gags

One of the charms of SpongeBob SquarePants is that past a certain point, you know exactly what you’re getting. Like any good kids’ cartoon, it relies on bright colors and broad character traits, but this franchise in particular also has enough pop-culture references and cheeky stealth jokes to keep adults from getting bored. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On the Run is the third film in the series — which has spanned 13 TV seasons since 1999, and is even getting a new spin-off on Paramount Plus — and it’s an entertaining entry, though an unremarkable one. For a property that has seen some genuinely moving and hilarious highs, though, it probably should have been more.

In its opening scenes, SpongeBob’s third cinematic outing…