The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – A Swashbuckling Dose of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Could those early viewers who chuckled through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series persisting for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most lysergic of plotlines? This longevity is in part due to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything as unexpected as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Goofy Vibe
Kicking off with a holiday short starring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon finds a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the finest modern American animation, the true thrill ride is the twisting plotting.
The Quest for Pirate Credentials
SpongeBob's mission to secure the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral 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 bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, consistently showcasing pleasing, authentically cartoonish visuals.
Whether its freewheeling humor will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Memorable scenes feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the series – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original fans will probably be snickering anew.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
