The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Dose of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Could those early viewers who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most surreal of narrative twists? Such longevity is partly due to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the funny bones of adults – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything quite as surprising as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of making a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Zany Groove
Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's other weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film quickly settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that thrills him as it at last qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest modern American cartoons, the true thrill ride is the twisting plotting.
The Adventure for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's mission to obtain the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned components, consistently showcasing pleasing, authentically cartoonish visuals.
Whether its spitballing silliness will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Memorable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid addition to the series – and perhaps the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original fans will likely be snickering anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
