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| Jinkies! This movie is awful! |
I remember watching this movie when I was a child, and how it was one of the very very few films I simply did not appreciate. As a child, I did not know the meaning of the word "dislike" since I loved every movie I saw because I was a very dumb child. So going back to this movie I was not excited. I was expecting an atrociously unpleasant romp through an abominable script filled with terrible lines and disturbing imagery.
Is that what I got...yes. For the most part, anyways. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's bad, horrendous even, but at the same time I felt like there was a better movie just underneath the surface trying its' damnedest to break out. I mean, the bad movie was very heavily restrained, but it was trying.
The movie was directed by Raja Gosnell, the same man who directed Home Alone 3, Big Momma's House, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and the live-action Smurfs movies.
Sarcasm Mode Activated
I'm so glad they got this guy to direct this movie. Gosnell is such a good filmmaker for kids and adults alike. After all, who could forget his unbelievably incredible direction in the Smurfs, taking a bunch of magical creatures from a fantasy land of whimsy and wonder and transplanting them into modern-day New York City? Or Home Alone 3, a movie with no connection whatsoever to the first two about an insufferable squirt who nearly kills a couple of robbers!? Totally awesome! Not a hack who never deserves to work in the industry again!!
Sarcasm Mode Deactivated
...Ahem. Anyhow, I think it's time we talked about the actual plot of the movie. As you can tell, the film is an adaptation of the classic cartoon series, Scooby-Doo. The original show centered around Mystery Incorporated solving crimes committed by people in monster costumes.
This movie is fairly similar. Mystery Inc. splits up within the first 20 minutes and the rest of the movie centers around them bickering whilst solving an ancient conspiracy in an amusement park built on a scary island. Just the natural progression of this series, right?
First, let's talk about the positives. The casting in the movie is on point. Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Fred as a self-centered pretty boy, Linda Cardellini delivers an excellent imitation of Velma, Matthew Lillard is clearly having fun playing Shaggy, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer portrays a very meta version of Daphne.
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| Rowan really needs to work on his Doctor Strange cosplay. |
Another positive about the movie is that there are some good ideas present. I actually like the idea of the Scooby Gang going up against an actual supernatural threat. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't do much with it.
OK, we're done with the positives. Now let's get into the negatives, shall we?
First of all, this movie is struggling to find its' identity. Does it want to be a straight-up continuation of the Scooby-Doo series or does it want to be its' own thing, satirizing the original material? Does it embrace the silliness of the original cartoon or is it trying to do away with it? Is it trying to appeal to kids, fans who grew up with the original show, both, or neither?
There are parts of this movie that seem very out of place for a family-friendly comedy. There are jokes and concepts that seem very out-of-place and straight-up disturbing for kids. Example: the Mystery Inc. gang sans Scooby end up in a situation where their minds and bodies are switching places (it makes sense in context) and Fred's mind ends up in Daphne's body. This doesn't sound too bad on paper, and could lead to funny shenanigans if he's trying not to seem suspicious, but that's not where this movie takes it. Oh no. Instead, after adjusting to the initial shock, Fred looks down at his new body and says "Hey, I can look at myself naked...".
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| Yeah, that was a real line... |
This is a movie for families!
Look, I'm not against dirty or adult jokes in family films, but there's a certain art to them. Many Warner Bros. films and cartoons make jokes like that in a subtle and hilarious way. This movie doesn't get that, instead just blurting them out with no rhyme or reason.
It gets even worse when Daphne shows up in Fred's body and says "Velma! Fred's touching me!" Nice. Real nice.
But the jokes aren't the only things that are off-colour in this movie. There's also the characterization of the Gang, which feels very, very off. Each of the gang members is very mean-spirited and just an exaggerated version of what their character originally was. Fred and Velma are each very pompous for different reason, Daphne is determined to solve the mystery on her own despite how much of an idiot she is. The only character I feel was captured well was Shaggy. He's the goofy, "groovy" hippie-ish individual who can't get enough food in his stomach yet somehow stays as skinny as a twig. Though, I feel like his cowardice was dialed up a bit too much, if that's possible, as he's willing to let his friends get eaten so long as he doesn't have to go into the scary monster cavern. Between you and me, I think Shaggy might favor Scooby over the other gang members. Speaking of, Scooby-Doo himself is less of a "character" in this movie and more like an atrocious visual gag. Scooby's only role in this movie is to provide slapstick, but it barely works because he looks like he was transplanted from a completely different movie. An animated movie. A really really cheap animated movie.
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| Rikes! Scooby looks terrifying! |
There's one other CG creature in this film, and some may consider mentioning him a spoiler, but this movie was made over 10 years ago and since it's on this blog you're probably not going to see it if you haven't already. The villain of this movie is Scrappy-Doo. Yes, the stupid little puppy that invaded the original cartoon for many seasons has returned as the primary antagonist of the live-action film. Given that this movie was conceived as a satire of Scooby-Doo, this sounds like a hilarious idea, right? Well, it's not. I mean, Scrappy is played as an exaggerated version of the original character and it is pretty funny to see him get ragged on by the main cast, but something about it just doesn't work. Y'see, Scrappy is mentioned early on in the film by Velma as she's relaying a story of her and the Gang's exploits to a generic hot guy who never gets named, and it ends with Scrappy getting left on the side of the road. That might be a funny throwaway gag, but it coming back later on in the film feels so insane and stupid that I don't know how it didn't work.
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| Scrappy-Doo, after years of demon steroids. This could happen to you, kids. Don't do demon drugs. |
That's the thing though, the idea of a demonic Scrappy is a pretty clever one. There are a few good ideas present in the movie, they just weren't really expanded upon. I touched upon Mystery Inc. dealing with real monsters, but there is a bit more. The idea of Mystery Inc. getting back together after a breakup? That could be a great opportunity to expand on their characters, but instead it barely feels relevant throughout the film. Monsters possessing people? That could breed paranoia and bring up issues of trust and loyalty, right? Never expanded upon. But like I said, the ideas are there, but it feels like they aren't allowed to blossom into good plot points. The writer of this movie went on to direct Guardians of the Galaxy (if you can believe it) so it's good to see that he moved up in the world. It just feels like Raja Gosnell wanted to take zero risks, and thus nothing was ventured or gained. I think that sums up this movie perfectly.
In conclusion, Scooby-Doo-Dee-Doo was an unpleasant and unfunny romp that didn't know if it wanted to pay tribute to the original cartoon or ridicule it relentlessly. If you're a fan of the original series, I wouldn't recommend this movie. Just go rent some of the direct-to-video animated films if you want some good old-fashioned Scooby-Doo antics.
Zoinks! This movie is Cinematic Garbage, Scoob! Let's make a run for the concessions booth, huh-huh!
Thank you for reading! Be sure to share this with everyone you know, or Scrappy-Doo will become a permanent resident in your home.
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