The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Dose of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Would the original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most lysergic of plotlines? This longevity is partly due to its broad charm, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Goofy Groove
Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly finds a recognizably silly rhythm. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it at last qualifies him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the best contemporary American animation, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials
SpongeBob's quest to obtain the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship adds a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned elements, consistently highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish visuals.
Whether its freewheeling silliness will resonate after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments include SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out somehow squarer than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the younger crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid addition to the series – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original fans will probably be chuckling all over again.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on December 19th in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
