The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Helping of Giggle-Provoking Silliness
Would the original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? Such staying power is in part due to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Groove
Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon finds a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that thrills him as it at last allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the finest modern American animation, the true thrill ride is the twisting narrative.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials
SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted components, forever showcasing satisfying, properly animated effects.
If its spitballing humor will linger after the credits is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably more rectangular than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the six-year-old audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable addition to the franchise – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those original fans will likely be snickering all over again.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
