SpongeBob's Latest: Search for SquarePants Review – A Swashbuckling Dose of Snicker-Inducing Fun
Could those original fans who chuckled through the first SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the series enduring for a quarter-century, even after absorbing the most surreal of narrative twists? Such staying power is partly due to its broad charm, amusing the sense of humor of adults – possibly even those former students – as well as the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this fourth feature has no qualms about making a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to music icons like Barbra Streisand. It seems anything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.
A Familiar Zany Groove
Starting with a holiday short starring Paramount's alternative long-running family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly finds a recognizably silly rhythm. Its script acts as a PG-rated exploration on the advantages and disadvantages of maturity. This version of SpongeBob (again brought to life by Tom Kenny) now stands 36 clams high, a fact that excites him as it at last allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An initial, psychedelic gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) Yet, like the best modern American animation, the real rollercoaster is the twisting plotting.
The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof
SpongeBob's quest to secure the fabled pirate license that will prove him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the ghostly Flying Dutchman, voiced by the currently ever-present Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ghost ship adds a grander scope, the film's visual style remains a charming bricolage of digital animation and hand-crafted components, forever highlighting satisfying, authentically animated visuals.
If its freewheeling humor will resonate after the credits is debatable, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.
Notable scenes include SpongeBob squeezing himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow squarer than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty guaranteed to delight the younger audience: our hero being subjected to endless dishwashing.
The Verdict
In the end, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and arguably the most humorous pirate-themed movie in years, including a robust Davy Jones joke and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's friend Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early fans will likely be snickering all over again.
Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants arrives on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.
