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Scooby Doo was part of the cartoon landscape when I was a kid. Even then I found it kinda formulaic with its goofy ghost chases culminating in the inevitable unmasking of the villain at the end. Ever the rebel, I often wanted the ghost to win just once. Perhaps in the same way, I wanted ... Read review
Ghosts haunting spooky old factories? Hip kids being brainwashed? The Darkopalypse about ... more
to engulf the world?Scooby-Doo, where are you? But the gang have all fallen out and dissolved the Mystery Inc partnership for good. Jinkeys! Luckily a strange invi...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Ghosts haunting spooky old factories? Hip kids being brainwashed? The Darkopalypse about ... more
to engulf the world?Scooby-Doo, where are you? But the gang have all fallen out and dissolved the Mystery Inc partnership for good. Jinkeys! Luckily a strange invi...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
ZOINKS! Two years after a clash of egos forced Mystery Inc. to close itsdoors, Scooby-Doo ... more
and his clever crime-solving cohorts Fred (FREDDIE PRINZE JR.), Daphne (SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR), Shaggy (MATTHEW LILLARD) and Velma (LINDA CARDELLINI) are individu...
Advantages: Great Cast, Quite fun Disadvantages: No great shakes
...speech impediment.
Scooby Doo was part of the cartoon landscape when I was a kid. Even then I found it kinda formulaic with its goofy ghost chases culminating in the inevitable unmasking of the villain at the end. Ever the rebel, I often wanted the ghost to win just once. Perhaps in the same way, I wanted the Roadrunner to get eaten; Jerry the mouse to get it's come uppance and Scratchy the cat to execute a diabolical revenge on Itchy ... ...to the 2002 hit – Scooby Doo and is yet another in a long line of real action adventures intended to lift the cartoon version from its original genre and place it onto live action celluloid. It's a trick that's had mixed results ranging from the reasonable in the shape of 101 Dalmatians to the not so reasonable via the sequel - 102 Dalmations (proving that you can have too much of a good thing) to the saccharine insipid in the shape of Stuart Little. more
"If it wasn't for those meddling kids." Groans the unmasked villain and so ends another Hannah Barbara inspired piece of cartoon mayhem involving a cross-section of American youth and a large dog with a speech impediment.
Scooby Doo was part of the cartoon landscape when I was a kid. Even then I found it kinda formulaic with its goofy ghost chases culminating in the inevitable unmasking of the villain at the end. Ever the rebel, I often wanted the ghost to win just once. Perhaps in the same way, I wanted the Roadrunner to get eaten; Jerry the mouse to get it's come uppance and Scratchy the cat to execute a diabolical revenge on Itchy the psychotic rodent.
Scooby Doo 2: Monster’s Unleashed, released this weekend is the follow up to the 2002 hit – Scooby Doo and is yet another in a long line of real action adventures intended to lift the cartoon version from its original genre and place it onto live action celluloid. It's a trick that's had mixed results ranging from the reasonable in the shape of 101 Dalmatians to the not so reasonable via the sequel - 102 Dalmations (proving that you can have too much of a good thing) to the saccharine insipid in the shape of Stuart Little.
It’s etched on my social calendar to take my good self and the family along to watch Scooby Doo 2 this weekend. I just hope it’s better than the first movie!
It does seem opportune to reflect on the cartoon carnage that was the forerunner as it has since made it’s way to DVD and video ensuring endless re-runs in endless front rooms in endless houses up and down the country.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Director: Raja Gosnell Cert: PG Running time 87 mins
Main cast:
Freddie Prinze Jr ~ Fred Jones Sarah Michelle Gellar ~ Daphne Blake Matthew Lillard ~ Norville "Shaggy" Rogers Linda Cardinellini ~ Velma Dinkley Neil Fanning ~ Scooby Doo Rowan Atkinson ~ Emile Mondavarious
Let me start by saying that the plot isn't too much of a surprise. The opening scenes are of Daphne in the clutches of a mischievous ghost and the rest of Mystery.inc waiting to pounce and rescue her. In true cartoon fashion, the plan goes wrong with slapstick results but Shaggy and Scooby's incompetence still results in the ghost lying a heap of barrels only too vulnerable to being unmasked with no way out following the usual impeccable timing of the arrival of the police. However, not all is well in the camp and the respective members of the gang go their separate ways. We're not really told why being left to assume that they're just fed up with each other. Scooby and Shaggy decide to retire to a life of beach bumming only to receive a mysterious invite to solve a further mystery 2 years on.
Anyone that's seen the cartoon will know that the intrepid duo are meant to be reluctant heroes preferring to run away so the only thing that gets them to commit to help is the promise of unlimited food (Shaggy and Scooby have unlimited appetites and live for food).
OK, so we're now back with the usual cartoon plot. Surprise, surprise the other members of the team have also been invited as they all...erm...bump into each other at the airport. A flight over results in the arrival at the island theme park called Spooky Island where teenagers arrive full of life only to leave like a refugee from the Stepford Wives. The island's owner, played by Blackadder himself, Rowan Atkinson, pleads with the gang to solve the mystery and ease his conscience. After that, cue very cartoonesqe shenanigans that stay faithful to the original cartoon format.
These probably aren't the most challenging roles this particular cast will ever get although some substance has been given to each of the main characters. Fred is now a bottle-blond narcissist who is forever preening himself and spends a lot of his time reading his book about his favourite subject - himself. With more than a slight suggestion of campness, you do wonder whether Fred isn’t telling us everything but he does rally later on to prove his manhood with the lovely Daphne. Stereotypically, Daphne is the perennial damsel in distress that always ends up getting saved albeit she rails against this typecasting by wanting more respect from her fellow man. Velma is a NASA scientist who is desperate to break from the shadow of the overbearing Fred. Scooby is the computer-generated clone of the cartoon same whilst Shaggy sounds eerily just like his cartoon counterpart even if he doesn't look like him.
As mentioned above, teen idol Freddie Prinze Jr. camps it up admirably as the dashing Freddy allowing him something of a departure from the teenage victim of “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. Sarah Michelle Gellar flicks her hair enough to convince as the adorable Daphne whilst Linda Cardellini looks just a little too attractive to capture the role of Velma. Possibly the greatest oddity in the film is Matthew Lillard as the inevitably grinning loon that is Shaggy. Can anyone be as constantly happy as he with no reference whatsoever to the original drug culture that spawned the basis for the potentially bulimic, cool hipster, Norville "Shaggy" Rogers? Struth, we even have some love interest for Shaggy in the shape of Isla Fisher as Mary Jane. There's a suitable level of innocent hand holding and staring into each other's eyes to provide a smokescreen for Mary Jane's inclusion in the comedic finale.
Director, Raja Gosnell is best known for his work on “Home Alone” and “Pretty Woman”. That fast paced, tongue-in-cheek approach serves well for this harem scarem effort. You have to hand it to Gosnell for trying to retain the authenticity of the movie against the long established format of the cartoon series. A mix of live action, CGI and attention to detail mean that the much loved cartoon template is never very far away.
David Eggby's cinematography allows some figure hugging camera work to capture the leading ladies in their best light. You could be forgiven for thinking that the camera is leering at times although the incorporation of the ghosts and ghouls does appear seamless. This movie is awash with colour to prepare your senses for a kind of visual miasma.
The film's greatest weakness lies in the apparent shallowness of the script. It's not hard to guess what's coming next and the reaction of the audience when we saw it originally at the cinema (predominantly kids) was muted. Even the apocryphal farting scene didn't get the belly laughs I expected having read about them in advance. The script plods too with little to trouble anyone with an intellect of over 8 years of age. The cinematography is kaleidoscopic with one Sunday Times luminary referring to the main characters as colour coded pieces straight out of Cleudo hurtling around the playing board at 100 miles an hour.
The film's not all bad. There's some obvious in-jokes including Daphne turning into a Mystery inc. version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer towards the end. The movie is mindless (and I mean mindless) fun that will keep the kids entertained for a couple of hours on a holiday afternoon. The close proximity of the movie to the original cartoon must have taken some doing with some nifty CGT effects to insert the various ghost/creature scenes even if it's not to hard at all to work out either who the villain is or the plot. Some of the humour makes its mark invariably revolving around Shaggy and Scooby e.g. Scooby stealing Shaggy's hotdogs at regular intervals, eating them with one large, Dysonesqe suck leaving his comedy foil to glance down at empty hands.
The soundtrack is comprehensive and the various tracks are listed in the notes. Suffice to say that this is one of the movie's strengths and a CD is available for those who are keen.
All in all, I honestly thought the whole thing was a bit tepid but I’m sure die hard fans of the cartoon series together with kiddies everywhere will lap this up. So it’s over to Scooby Doo 2 to see if Gosnell fairs any better. Review to follow!
Thanks for reading.
Marandina
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is showing nationally at movie theatres across the country.
Original movie DVD available from £15.19 at Amazon (Used from £4) Release Information: Studio: Warner Home Video DVD Release Date: November 25, 2002 Edition Details: • Region 2 encoding (Europe, Middle East & Japan only) • PAL • ASIN: B00006AGGV • Catalogue Number: D023430
Official movie sites: http://promo.warnerbros.com/scoobydoo/home.html
http://www2.warnerbros.com/scoobydoo2/
Soundtrack: "Shaggy, Where Are You?" Written by David Mook and Ben Raleigh
"Rock da Juice" Written by Regis Ducafillon and Ian Burrel
"Pass the Dutchie" Written by Lloyd Ferguson, Jackie Mittoo and Fitzroy Simpson Performed by Musical Youth
"Happy Ending" Written and Produced by Anti-Matter Music
"Grow-Up" Written by Pierre Bouvier, Charles-Andre Comeau and Jean-Francois Stinco
"Lil' Romeo's B House" Written by William King, Ronald Lapreed, Thomas McClary, Walter Orange, Milan Williams, Lionel Richie
"Land of a Million Drums" Written by André Benjamin, Antwan PAtton, David Sheats, Michael Render and Patrick Brown
"Freaks Come Out at Night" Written by Jalil Hutchins and Lawrence Smith
"Creatures Chant" Written by James Gunn
"It's a Mystery" Written by Little T and One Track Mike
"Words to Me" Written by S. Frazier, M. McGrath, R. Sheppard, C. Bullock, J. Nichol, M. Karges and R. Sall
"Bump in the Night" Written by Peter Cunnah and Jamie Petrie
"Thinking about You" Written by David Mook and Ben Raleigh
"God Only Knows" Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher
"Man with the Hex" Written by John K. Bunkley
"Take the World" Written, Produced and Performed by Evan Olson
"The Name Game" Written by Lincoln Chase and Shirley Elliston
"Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" Written by David Mook and Ben Raleigh
"Scooby D" Written by Chris Wagner, David King, Rick Markman, Dan Pinella and Debbie Mack
Advantages: Matthew Lillard, Scooby, great effects Disadvantages: Toilet humour, boring, frightening for some kids
I loved Scooby Doo in the 1970s and even now, my children will watch the cartoon, following the intrepid adventurers facing yet another monster, which turns out to be the creepy bloke who owns the hotel. It has an appeal which lasts. This is probably why they decided it would be a good idea to make a new live action film of it. Oh dear. What a shame.
This was one of the videos my children got for Christmas. This morning, the kids were at school, ... ...something less boring instead!’
Scooby Doo – the movie isn’t all bad, but most of it is. I found the 83 minutes quite painful to sit through and in places; I positively squirmed with embarrassment. The humour is desperately trying to cover the key audience on two levels – the adult fans who loved the cartoon in their childhood and the kids of today. For the adults, we have lots of jokes involving the stereotypes of the character’s ...
KarenUK 10.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Scooby Doo - The Movie (DVD)
Advantages: Cheesy lines, not-so-scary monsters, classic Scooby plot etc. Disadvantages: Probably not good for adults who weren't big fans of Scooby-Doo
...each other. Anyway Shaggy and Scooby are both a bit sad at the others leaving and are cast throughout as loveable despite the others’ petty squabbles. They live as hippies eating copious amount of junk food (although without becoming obese) and refuse to do any more mystery solving, for anyone or anything. But then Mr. Mondavarius makes them an offer they can’t refuse. Money and other such things fail, with Shaggy and Scooby attempting ... ...scenes in which Shaggy and Scooby stuff themselves silly are humourous for nostalgic adults and young children alike- particularly at the end when they each down a pot of chillies with exceedingly funny results! That particular scene is brilliant, the sheer innocent stupidity of the purported consequences provides one of the better touches of the apparently childish humour that is evident throughout. Indeed in places the humour might be too childish ...
timmyotoole 10.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Scooby Doo - The Movie (DVD)
Advantages: It's fun, bright and enjoyable Disadvantages: I HATE SCRAPPY DOO
...year old is doing watching Scooby Doo, but I must confess that I grew up watching the cartoon and this greedy dog with the hilarious voice has a kind of nostalgia value for me. The live-action, no-expense-spared film version was released four years ago now (how time flies) and I thought I would take up the chance to watch it one more time, to relive those childhood memories all over again.
The film begins with the Mystery Inc. crew falling out with ... ...(Matthew Lillard) and of course Scooby Doo turn up and do their stuff. Although at first they compete with each other to see who can find the clues and solve the mystery, they soon realise that teamwork is the best solution of all.
No matter how fantastic the original Hana-Barbera cartoon was, at the end of the day this is still a family movie, and therefore it has to be taken with a pinch of salt. But to be honest, it's not bad at all! The first ...
l-m-n-o-p 30.04.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Scooby Doo - The Movie (DVD)
Advantages: Just like the cartoons, Matthew Lillard carries off Shaggy's voice superbly, Hardly notice that Scooby is an animation Disadvantages: If only it had come out about 15 years ago - I would have absolutely loved to see this as a kid!!!
...The film has a typical Scooby Doo plot. I'm fairly sure everyone has seen at least one Scooby Doo cartoon in the past - this film certainly lives up to the cartoons. The film starts at the end of one of the Mystery Inc mystery solving escapades. The gang (Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, Fred and of course, Scooby) have just unmasked a villain who has been terrorising a toy factory, and been praised for their excellent detective work. However, despite Velma ... ...aren't deprived of a typical Scooby Doo ending where the gang unmask the villain to reveal his (or her) true identity... will you manage to guess who it is before they take his mask off? I certainly didn't... you'll probably have to watch the film very carefully if you are to guess correctly first time! And no - you're not deprived of the 'villain' exclaiming "I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddling kids"
The main characters ...
angeelu 21.07.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Scooby Doo - The Movie (DVD)
Advantages: Brilliant for the under-12 audience Disadvantages: Lacklustre (and I'll use that word a lot!) at times, little chemistry between cast members
...LINDA CARDELLINI
Scooby Doo voice of NEIL FANNING
Mr. Mondavarious ROWAN ATKINSON
Directed by Raja Gosnell
(Never Been Kissed, Home Alone 3)
STORY
The opening sequence shows the old Mystery Inc gang uncovering the true identity of a mysterious ghost in a way that will seem very familiar to fans of the cartoon... meddlin' kids, anyone? (Though not pesky, apparently!). Subsequently, sick of Fred's arrogant grandstanding, Daphne's knack for being ... ...easily. As it was, Scooby Doo was unfortunately a touch grating. However, his speech impediment was mimicked very accurately by Neil Fanning, and Scrooby (sic) Doo lives on.
The unfortunate thing about couples who act together was pointed out the the world by Joey in Friends. If they're already getting it on, there's no sexual tension. And although Fred and Daphne are already supposed to be having some sort of clandestine relationship, it seems ...
ruth_cole 25.07.2002 (27.07.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Scooby Doo - The Movie (DVD)
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Advantages: Great film for all the family Disadvantages: none that i can think of
him.
Triple threat featurette:scoobydoo gives you an insider tour of the movie making process
True ghoul hollywood story
Dvd-rom pc web linkes to cool scoobydoo stuff
There are two music videos which are Big Brovas Thank you and Simple Plans Dont wanna think about you which i think are great sound tracks.
There are two audiovisual puzzles to solve which are.The scoobydoo monsters unleashed challenge and The mystery of the missing pants I myself have not tried these puzzles so i cant really tell you anything about them but when i do i will update.
This film is not for a certain age group it is fun for all the family to watch.
If you were to compare this with the first scoobydoo well this one is just as good if not better
LANGUAGES
English
SUBTITLES
English
English for the hearing impaired
The movie is rated ...
Advantages: Great animation, available to rent Disadvantages: Bit boring
Scoobydoo and the Loch Ness Monster is one of the newer Scoobydoo full length feature cartoon movies that has recently been released on DVD. I would love to say that I just bought this for the kids but I am an avid collector of all things Scoobydoo including the DVDs- however the kids did watch it so I can include their opinions in the review!
CAST AND PLOT
Obviously the film is animated but the main characters are
Scoobydoo (voice by Frank Welker)
Shaggy (voice by Casey Kasem)
Velma (voice by Mindy Cohn)
Fred (voice by Frank Welker)
Daphne (voice by Grey Delisle)
As I'm sure most people are aware, these 5 characters are members of the Mystery Inc club who travel all over the place in their van stumbling upon and solving mysteries. Scooby is the scardey-cat big dog, Shaggy his scaredy-cat friend. Fred is the more ...
Advantages: Funny, charming, unpretentious Disadvantages: Dumb yourself down before seeing it
similar themes (getting back to nature, rednecks) and also featuring Burt Reynolds, in a small but nostalgic role. It is directed by Steven Brill, a largely undecorated director notable mainly for his work with Adam Sandler in mediocre comedies like Mr Deeds and Little Nicky.
I was basically forced to see this film by my friends, as we arrived late at the cinema for the film we wanted to see and this was the only one starting within the next hour. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I absolutely loved this movie. Not only did I find it hilarious, but there was a cheesy charm and charisma to it, and I found myself endeared to the main trio of characters, even though in all other productions I've found them obnoxious and tedious in their attempts at humour (Matthew Lillard in ScoobyDoo anyone!?).
I bought the DVD as soon as it was available ...
The Mystery Inc. gang have broken up but find themselves together on Spooky Island. Strange things happen on the island resulting in the gang getting together to solve the case.
Audio Commentaries, Featurette Of The Mystery Behind Scooby Doo, Unseen Footage, About Movie Set And Design, The Mystery Van, Daphne Fight Scene, Rain On Set, DVD ROM extras
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
"...The human leads are uncannily suited to their roles, energetically bringing their cartoon counterparts to life..." (Total Film, p.98, 01/08/2002)
DVD Description
In this live action rethink of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, director Raja Gosnell puts Fred (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardellini), and Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) back into the Mystery Machine with a CGI version of the canine title character. After parting ways to protest Fred's self-centered treatment of the Mystery Inc. gang, they are brought back together by Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson) to help solve a ghoulish mystery at his teen resort and fun park, Spooky Island. Although SCOOBY-DOO is primarily a live action movie, Gosnell keeps the characters and visuals cartoonish at all times. For fans of the series, all of the expected trappings are present (from Fred's ascot to the inevitable "meddling kids" line from the bad guy), but the film also pokes fun at these elements throughout, managing to balance kiddie fun with a more grown-up self-mocking. The CGI Scooby is both convincingly lifelike and clearly make-believe, with action that is more silly than scary so kids and adults can enjoy the film together.
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