The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants Film Critique – A Swashbuckling Dose of Snicker-Inducing Fun

Would the early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have envisioned the franchise persisting for a quarter-century, even after experiencing the most surreal of plotlines? Such longevity is in part due to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the funny bones of grown-ups – possibly even those former students – alongside the youngest viewers. While it may not feature anything as surprising as the legendary David Hasselhoff cameo in the 2004 film, this fourth feature thinks nothing of having a veteran voice actor talk like a pirate while dispensing royalty cheques to stars like Barbra Streisand. It seems everything remains possible in the zany world of Bikini Bottom.

A Familiar Zany Groove

Kicking off with a festive short featuring Paramount's alternative weathered family favorites, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob movie soon settles into a comfortably goofy rhythm. Its script acts as a PG-rated treatise 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 thrills him as it finally qualifies him to ride his dream rollercoaster. (An early, trippy laugh: our overexcitable hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the finest contemporary American cartoons, the real thrill ride is the twisting narrative.

The Adventure for Pirate Proof

SpongeBob's quest to secure the legendary pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into conflict with the spectral Flying Dutchman, voiced by the suddenly ever-present Mark Hamill. Although the Dutchman's ship introduces a grander scope, the movie's aesthetic remains a charming bricolage of digimation and hand-turned elements, consistently showcasing pleasing, properly animated effects.

If its freewheeling humor will resonate after the credits is up for discussion, but it's a solid SpongeBob movie.

Memorable moments feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an AC unit and emerging somehow squarer than before; a brief appearance from a pair of chattering novelty false teeth; and a penalty sure to resonate with the younger crowd: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Search for SquarePants is a reliable entry to the series – and perhaps the funniest Pirates of the Caribbean movie in years, encompassing a hearty Davy Jones joke and a saltily suggestive catchphrase for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” One thing is clear: those original fans will likely be chuckling all over again.

Release Dates: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on 19 December in the US, 20 December in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.