The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Dose of Giggle-Provoking Silliness
Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series enduring for a quarter-century, following absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? This longevity is partly attributed to its broad charm, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Groove
Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's other weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly settles into a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its storyline serves as a PG-rated treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest contemporary American animation, the true thrill ride is the corkscrew plotting.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship adds a larger scale, the film's visual style remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-turned components, consistently highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.
Whether its spitballing humor will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing a robust Davy Jones joke and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those early fans will probably be chuckling anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
