The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Dose of Snicker-Inducing Fun
Could those original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series persisting for a 25 years, following experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? This staying power is partly attributed to its broad charm, amusing the sense of humor of adults – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about making Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Vibe
Kicking off with a festive 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 family-friendly treatise on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it finally qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest modern American animation, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials
SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the film's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted components, forever highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.
If its spitballing humor will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the six-year-old audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early fans will likely be chuckling all over again.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
