The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Dose of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Could those early viewers who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series enduring for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such longevity is partly due to its broad appeal, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything quite as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Zany Groove
Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon settles into a comfortably silly rhythm. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it finally qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best contemporary American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.
The Adventure for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted components, forever showcasing satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.
If its spitballing silliness will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Memorable moments include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and coming out somehow squarer than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those original fans will probably be snickering all over again.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
