The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Helping of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have predicted the series enduring for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? Such longevity is partly attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. While it may not feature anything as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about making a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Groove
Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie quickly finds a recognizably silly rhythm. Its storyline serves 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 detail that excites him as it finally allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the best contemporary American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the corkscrew plotting.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's mission to secure the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-crafted elements, consistently showcasing pleasing, authentically animated visuals.
If its spitballing humor will linger after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the six-year-old audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the series – and arguably the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original fans will likely be snickering anew.
Release Dates: 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.
