SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Review – An Adventurous Dose of Giggle-Provoking Fun
Would the early viewers who laughed through the initial SpongeBob escapades have predicted the franchise persisting for a 25 years, following absorbing the most surreal of plotlines? This staying power is partly attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, amusing the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it can't claim anything as unexpected as the memorable David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie has no qualms about having Clancy Brown speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything can still in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Zany Groove
Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's alternative long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie soon settles into a recognizably goofy groove. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally allows him to experience his fantasy coaster. (An initial, psychedelic laugh: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best modern American animation, the real rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship adds a grander scope, the film's visual style remains a charming mix of digimation and hand-crafted components, consistently showcasing satisfying, authentically cartoonish visuals.
If its spitballing humor will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an air conditioner and coming out somehow squarer than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a penalty sure to delight the younger audience: our hero being forced into endless dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a solid entry to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, including a hearty Davy Jones joke and a cheekily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those early fans will probably be chuckling anew.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
