The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Snicker-Inducing Fun
Could those original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? This staying power is in part attributed to its broad appeal, amusing the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as surprising as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature thinks nothing of making Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Groove
Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon settles into a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting plotting.
The Adventure for Pirate Credentials
SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, consistently highlighting pleasing, properly cartoonish effects.
Whether its freewheeling humor will resonate when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the franchise – and arguably the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early fans will probably be snickering anew.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
