SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Dose of Snicker-Inducing Fun
Could those early viewers who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most lysergic of plotlines? This staying power is partly attributed to its broad appeal, amusing the funny bones of adults – perhaps even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. Although it may not feature anything as surprising as a certain legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Zany Groove
Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob movie soon finds a recognizably silly groove. Its storyline acts as a PG-rated exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a fact that thrills him as it finally allows him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An early, trippy gag: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best modern American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting plotting.
The Quest for Pirate Proof
SpongeBob's mission to obtain the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into conflict with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a larger scale, the film's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted elements, forever highlighting satisfying, authentically animated visuals.
Whether its freewheeling humor will resonate when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and emerging inexplicably squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to delight the six-year-old audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the franchise – and arguably the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early students will probably be chuckling 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.
