The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Giggle-Provoking Silliness
Would the early viewers who chuckled through the first SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? This longevity is partly due to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the sense of humor of adults – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while handing out payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Zany Vibe
Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a recognizably silly groove. Its storyline acts as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting narrative.
The Adventure for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned elements, consistently showcasing satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.
Whether its freewheeling silliness will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Memorable moments include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the younger crowd: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original students will probably be chuckling all over again.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
