FILM REVIEW: THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE – SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS (PG) ESP RATING: 3.5/5
- ESP Online
- Dec 31, 2025
- 2 min read
You’ll have a whale of a time!
From the opening moments, the latest SpongeBob movie instalment fully commits to ‘nonsense’ – dialling the randomness up to levels that somehow surpass the already ‘bonkers’ standards set by earlier films.
This may well be the most ‘barmy’ entry yet, which is really saying something.
The film loosely follows SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) as he blunders into yet another absurd quest, joined by Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke), a perpetually irritated Squidward Tentacles (Rodger Bumpass), the eternally money-minded Mr Krabs (Clancy Brown), and the scheming – albeit briefly in terms of this movie – ever-hopeful Plankton (Douglas Lawrence).
This time Mark ‘Luke Skywalker’ Hamill is the antagonist of the piece – playing the movie’s swashbuckling nemesis known as The Flying Dutchman – after the ghostly pirate is summonsed from Krabs’ secret basement.
Calling the storyline ‘thin’ would be generous, but the film never pretends otherwise. Plot is merely a suggestion here – a flimsy excuse to bounce from one gag, visual joke, or surreal detour to the next.
Normally, that kind of approach would wear thin quickly, but boredom simply never sets in. There’s too much happening, all the time. The screen is constantly alive with movement and background jokes, yet it’s never overwhelming. The pacing is surprisingly disciplined, and the runtime feels just right – climaxing before the chaos has a chance to exhaust its welcome.
I took my seven-year-old son along to the screening, and he was completely hooked from start to finish. He laughed throughout and never once lost interest, which is perhaps the film’s greatest achievement. I found myself equally immersed, happily surrendering to the madness and enjoying the ride.
Search for SquarePants isn’t clever in a traditional sense, nor is it emotionally rich, but it knows exactly what it is.
It’s fast, silly, and unapologetically weird, making it an ideal Christmas cinematic treat for kids – and a surprisingly painless one for parents to search out.
Turn your brain off, go with the flow, and you’ll have a good time.
ESP Rating: 3.5/5
Mike Clarke
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough & Odeon Luxe Peterborough, Out Now
Voice Cast: Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence, Douglas Lawrence, Regina Hall & Mark Hamill
Running Time: 1 Hr 36 Mins
Director: Derek Drymon
Film Review Venue: Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough
For all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux & Odeon Luxe cinemas go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk and www.odeon.co.uk
Comments