The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Would the original fans who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series enduring for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? This staying power is partly due to its broad appeal, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything quite as unexpected as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of making a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Vibe
Starting with a holiday short featuring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly settles into a recognizably silly groove. Its storyline serves as a PG-rated exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that excites him as it at last allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best modern American animation, the real thrill ride is the corkscrew narrative.
The Quest for Pirate Credentials
SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digimation and hand-crafted elements, consistently highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.
Whether its freewheeling silliness will resonate when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging somehow squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable addition to the franchise – and perhaps the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those early students will likely be snickering 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.
