by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $10.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Mark Hamill, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Regina Hall, Ice Spice, Beau Ryan, George Lopez, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr Lawrence, Sherry Cola, Arturo Castro Bondi Rescue Lifeguards
Intro:
The bubble-blowing baby boy has seen better days.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a certified nostalgic classic and a shining example of the aquatic Peter Pan Syndrome that makes the series so iconic. Sponge out of Water, with its midway-between-eclectic-and-indecisive animation and near-literal episodic plot, just managed to skate by on its delirious sense of humour. Sponge on the Run delved more into the character relationships to make for a fitting tribute to recently-departed show creator Stephen Hillenburg… and now with this new film, we appear to be back in aimless wacky territory.
There is technically a plot to this, focusing on SpongeBob (Tom Kenny) and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) as they go on a swashbuckling adventure through the Underworld as crewmates on the ship of the Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill). But the main thing that sticks out is the film’s relentless dedication to pure attention-deficit hyperactivity. Lines of dialogue repeated ad nauseum, non-sequiturs that are out-of-place, quick-cuts that feel like blinking between two different movies; it’s kind of exhausting to watch. ADHD is as much a part of the show’s identity as the theme song, and while that is (usually) okay when it comes to the jokes, it’s a problem with the more intentional story elements.
Writers Pam Brady (Smurfs, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken) and Matt Lieberman (Free Guy) make token efforts to build up how SpongeBob’s nature as a pure soul (even calling him such in the film) is what makes him a good person. However, even the more pointed moments end up feeling like pale echoes of previous films, making one plead for a sudden encore of ‘I’m A Goofy Goober’, if only to save the audience from more Ice Spice repetition.
Good thing it’s at least fun to look at. While the all-3D direction that the series has taken after experimenting in Sponge out of Water still doesn’t work as effectively as the original animation, there’s still a lot of creativity in how everything looks, especially the Underworld. The myriad of hybrid sea creatures, the madcap energy in the chase and fight scenes, even a brief detour into a high school setting; Cinesite and FuseFX certainly cooked to really bring the adventurous side of things to the forefront. They add plentifully to the sugar rush sensation that gives the film its entertainment value; it’s just a shame that the sugar is all there is to it.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is fine. It’s an alright trip to the world of Bikini Bottom with solid animation and at least an attempt to do something dramatic with the titular character. But between its middling joke ratio (nothing wince-inducing, just a lot of “… okay then.”), its recycled sentiments, and trackless progression that seems designed more for after-viewing memes than in-the-moment gratification, it’s hard not to feel disappointed by the end result. Especially when, as shown in cinemas, it’s preceded by the animated short Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 – Lost In New Jersey, which packs more humour, visual flair, and even thoughtful messaging, into just seven minutes than this feature at more than ten times the duration. The bubble-blowing baby boy has seen better days.
