The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants (English) Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Mark Hamill
Director: Derek Drymon
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants Movie Review Synopsis:
THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS is the story of a simpleton who teams up with a ghost pirate. SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) realizes that he is now 36 clams tall. This makes him eligible to experience the roller coaster ride at Captain Booty Beard's. He goes there with his best friend, Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke), but SpongeBob chickens out and runs away. SpongeBob's boss Mr Krabs (Clancy Brown) tells him that he's not brave enough. He further tells SpongeBob that in his youth, he was a swashbuckler. SpongeBob aspires to be brave and hence, he goes through Mr Krabs' secret basement containing his pirate relics. While doing so, he unintentionally summons The Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill), a ghost pirate from the Underworld. The Flying Dutchman can return to mortality if he can swap places with an innocent soul. He realizes that SpongeBob fits the bill. Therefore, he tricks him into joining him and his crew to the Underworld, with the promise that he'll help him become a swashbuckler. SpongeBob readily agrees, and he's also joined by Patrick Star. Mr Krabs realizes that SpongeBob's life is in danger and he chases The Flying Dutchman's ship in the dangerous Underworld. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants Movie Story Review:
Marc Ceccarelli, Kaz and Pam Brady have written a story which sounds promising on paper. But Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman's screenplay is weak, especially compared to the earlier parts of the series. The dialogues are goofy and funny, as expected. But not all jokes work as intended.
Derek Drymon's direction is nothing great. He directed the first two parts of the series and skipped helming the third part. So, his return should have taken the film higher by a few notches. A few scenes do stand out like SpongeBob being petrified of the roller coaster, SpongeBob getting tricked by The Dutchman and some of the happenings in the Underworld. The goofy character of the protagonist and his mischief might be lapped up by the kids.
On the flipside, most of the jokes fall flat. Animated films are meant mainly for kids but they also need to tickle the adults’ funny bones. This film doesn’t do so. Despite a run time of just 96 minutes, it makes for a tedious watch. Moreover, the MINIONS and DESPICABLE ME series have set a benchmark in this space, where jokes are silly but still make everyone laugh, from the ages of 6 to 60 and beyond. THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS is nowhere close to the iconic Hollywood series or even to the earlier SPONGEBOB films. Lastly, the series has negligible following in India.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants Movie Review Performances:
The voiceovers, however, are top-class. Tom Kenny, as expected, takes the cake. Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown and Mark Hamill come next. Regina Hall as Barb, the Flying Dutchman's assistant, stands out. Mr Lawrence (Plankton) and Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy Cheeks) are hardly there; their respective characters are wasted.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants movie music and other technical aspects:
John Debney's music is in sync with the film's theme. Peter Lyons Collister's cinematography is satisfactory. Dayna Pink's costumes are impressive. The VFX is first-rate. Wyatt Jones' editing is fine, but due to weak content, the film seems lengthy.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS is hardly funny. The series has negligible following in India and hence, it’ll face a tough time at the box office.