SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Helping of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Would the original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the franchise enduring for a quarter-century, following experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? Such longevity is in part attributed to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo 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. It seems anything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Goofy Groove
Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon settles into a comfortably silly rhythm. Its storyline serves as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures a specific height, a fact that excites him as it finally allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting narrative.
The Quest for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship adds a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming 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 debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging inexplicably more rectangular than ever; 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 endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early fans will probably be snickering all over again.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
