The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – A Swashbuckling Helping of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Could those original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series persisting for a quarter-century, following absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such staying power is in part due to its broad charm, amusing the funny bones of grown-ups – perhaps even those former students – as well as the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as the memorable 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 stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything can still in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Vibe
Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon finds a comfortably silly rhythm. Its script serves as a PG-rated exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it finally allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the best contemporary American animation, the true rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.
The Adventure for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship adds a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-turned elements, forever highlighting pleasing, authentically animated visuals.
If its spitballing humor will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging somehow more rectangular than before; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to resonate with the six-year-old crowd: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable addition to the series – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those early fans will likely be snickering anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
