The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – A Swashbuckling Helping of Snicker-Inducing Fun
Would the original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most surreal of narrative twists? Such longevity is partly due to its broad appeal, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as surprising as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Zany Groove
Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie soon finds a comfortably silly rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best contemporary American animation, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials
SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a grander scope, the film's visual style remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-crafted elements, forever highlighting pleasing, authentically animated visuals.
If its freewheeling humor will resonate when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Memorable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the franchise – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie recently, including a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those early fans will probably be chuckling all over again.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
