SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Helping of Giggle-Provoking Silliness
Would the original fans who laughed through the first SpongeBob escapades have envisioned the series persisting for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most surreal of plotlines? Such longevity is partly due to its wide-ranging charm, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. Although it can't claim anything as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 film, this latest movie has no qualms about making Clancy Brown talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.
An Established Goofy Vibe
Starting with a holiday short featuring Paramount's other long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the new SpongeBob film soon settles into a comfortably silly rhythm. Its storyline serves as a family-friendly exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now stands a specific height, a fact that thrills him as it finally allows him to ride his fantasy coaster. (An initial, trippy laugh: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, as in the best modern American cartoons, the true thrill ride is the twisting plotting.
The Adventure for Swashbuckling Credentials
SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary swashbuckler certificate that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's visual style remains a charming mix of digital animation and hand-crafted components, forever showcasing satisfying, properly cartoonish visuals.
Whether its freewheeling humor will linger 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 emerging somehow more rectangular than ever; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a punishment sure to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being subjected to never-ending dishwashing.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the franchise – and perhaps the most humorous Pirates of the Caribbean movie recently, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's clear: those original students will probably be chuckling all over again.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and 26 December in Australia and the UK.
