The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Helping of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Could those early viewers who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, following experiencing the most surreal of narrative twists? This staying power is in part due to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the funny bones of adults – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything as surprising as a certain memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Zany Groove
Kicking off with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon finds a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script serves as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that thrills him as it at last allows him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy gag: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best contemporary American animation, the true thrill ride is the twisting plotting.
The Quest for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a grander scope, the film's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted components, consistently showcasing pleasing, properly cartoonish visuals.
Whether its spitballing humor will linger after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably squarer than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the six-year-old crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the series – and arguably the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those original fans will likely be snickering anew.
Release Dates: 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.
