The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Dose of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series enduring for a 25 years, following absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This longevity is partly attributed to its broad charm, tickling the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of making a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Zany Groove
Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon settles into a recognizably goofy groove. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the best modern American animation, the real rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials
SpongeBob's mission to obtain the fabled pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming mix of digital animation and hand-crafted components, consistently highlighting pleasing, authentically cartoonish visuals.
If its spitballing humor will resonate when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those early students will likely be snickering all over again.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
