SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Dose of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Would the original fans who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the series enduring for a 25 years, even after experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? Such longevity is partly attributed to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything as surprising as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature has no qualms about having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Zany Groove
Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's other long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie quickly settles into a comfortably silly rhythm. Its script acts as a PG-rated exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that excites him as it at last qualifies him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best contemporary American animation, the real rollercoaster is the corkscrew narrative.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials
SpongeBob's mission to obtain the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship adds a grander scope, the film's visual style remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-turned elements, consistently highlighting satisfying, properly cartoonish effects.
Whether its spitballing silliness will linger after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging inexplicably more rectangular than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a reliable addition to the franchise – and arguably the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily innuendo-laden catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is certain: those early fans will probably be chuckling anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
