The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Dose of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most surreal of narrative twists? Such staying power is in part due to its broad appeal, tickling the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it can't claim anything as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Groove
Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon settles into a recognizably silly rhythm. Its script acts as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it finally allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the best contemporary American animation, the true rollercoaster is the corkscrew narrative.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's mission to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a grander scope, the film's aesthetic remains a delightful mix of digital animation and hand-turned components, consistently showcasing pleasing, properly animated visuals.
If its freewheeling silliness will resonate when the lights come up is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Memorable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those original students will probably be snickering 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.
