SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – An Adventurous Dose of Giggle-Provoking Silliness
Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the franchise persisting for a 25 years, even after absorbing the most lysergic of narrative twists? Such staying power is in part due to its broad charm, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. While it can't claim anything as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while handing out royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Zany Vibe
Starting with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film quickly finds a recognizably goofy rhythm. Its storyline serves as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a detail that thrills him as it at last qualifies him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An early, psychedelic laugh: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the corkscrew narrative.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Credentials
SpongeBob's mission to secure the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” brings him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship introduces a larger scale, the film's visual style remains a delightful mix of digimation and hand-crafted components, consistently highlighting satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.
Whether its spitballing humor will resonate when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Memorable moments feature SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and coming out somehow squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment sure to delight the six-year-old crowd: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a solid addition to the series – and arguably the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing a robust Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original 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.
