The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Would the early viewers who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series persisting for a quarter-century, following absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? This longevity is in part attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything quite as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Zany Vibe
Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a comfortably goofy groove. Its script serves as a PG-rated exploration on the pros and cons of maturity. 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 qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest modern American animation, the true thrill ride is the twisting narrative.
The Quest for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship adds a larger scale, the movie's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned elements, forever showcasing pleasing, authentically cartoonish visuals.
Whether its spitballing silliness will resonate when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Memorable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging somehow more rectangular than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the six-year-old audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the franchise – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original fans will probably be chuckling all over again.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.