SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – A Swashbuckling Helping of Snicker-Inducing Silliness
Would the original fans who laughed through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise enduring for a quarter-century, following absorbing the most lysergic of plotlines? Such longevity is partly attributed to its wide-ranging charm, amusing the funny bones of adults – possibly even those former students – alongside the very young viewers. Although it can't claim anything quite as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this latest movie thinks nothing of having Clancy Brown speak as 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.
A Familiar Goofy Vibe
Starting with a festive short starring Paramount's other weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film soon settles into a comfortably silly groove. Its script serves as a PG-rated exploration on the pros and cons of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that excites him as it at last qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our overexcitable hero's fantasized loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-crafted elements, consistently showcasing satisfying, authentically cartoonish effects.
Whether its freewheeling humor will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes include SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and coming out inexplicably more rectangular than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to resonate with the six-year-old audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Search for SquarePants stands as a solid entry to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those early fans will likely be snickering anew.
Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
