The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Helping of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Would the original fans who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise enduring for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? Such longevity is in part due to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the funny bones of adults – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing payments to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves everything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Vibe
Kicking off with a holiday short starring Paramount's other weathered babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie quickly finds a comfortably silly groove. Its script acts as a family-friendly treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that excites him as it at last allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our enthusiastic hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, like the best contemporary American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.
The Adventure for Pirate Credentials
SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship adds a larger scale, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful mix of digital animation and hand-turned elements, consistently highlighting satisfying, properly animated effects.
If its spitballing humor will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Memorable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the younger crowd: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the franchise – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original students will probably be snickering all over again.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
