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Beloved
cartoon character Scooby Doo comes to the big screen.
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Summary:
Scooby-Doo is back. As can be expected, there is plenty of madcap
behavior, slapstick humor and more than plenty Scooby-Doo, who is
computer generated to include all the best antics of his animated
self.
First
things first – Scooby-Doo is rated PG by the MPAA for very
good reasons. As such, it cannot be overemphasized that this is not
a kids’ film; and despite the presence of everyone’s favorite
and thoroughly loveable cartoon dog, there are aspects of this movie
that are adult in nature. For instance, there is small but
noticeable amount of romantic subplot. The costuming of many of the
characters, including two major characters, is rather revealing.
There is one instance of alcohol consumption and a couple veiled
drug references. And there are other minor aspects of the film that
would run slightly afoul of Muslim sensibilities.
With
all that said, however, Scooby-Doo is a film that, for once,
lives up to the original series from which it is adapted.
Anyone
in their mid-late 20s or early 30s (or the parents of these people)
will have some fond memories of the Scooby-Doo television
cartoons. Whether after school or on a Saturday morning, the
unmistakable anthropomorphized Great Dane and his motley crew of
compatriots always got top billing in any cartoon line-up. Saving
the day by uncovering mysteries that more often then not included
both fighting and running from ghosts (usually more running than
fighting) Scooby and friends were as clichéd a group of characters
as could be.
What
fans of the cartoon will like about the big screen adaptation is
that all the clichés remain. From Scooby’s broken “doggie”
English to Velma’s “nerdiness”, Daphne’s vapidity, Fred’s
self-absorption and Shaggy’s dopiness, everything that people love
from the cartoons is included.
The
plot of Scooby-Doo is the only thing that has changed.
Instead of being just another in the serialized adventures of
Mystery, Inc., the film picks up at a point where Scooby and crew
are already famous for their mystery-solving skills. So famous has
the quintet become, that tensions have built amongst them to the
point that they decide to go their separate ways.
Our
hero’s solo lives don’t last long, however, as all five
simultaneously receive invitations to Spooky Island, an amusement
park/resort for college kids on Spring Break. At the request of the
Island’s owner, Mystery, Inc. reunites to investigate a mysterious
series of brainwashings that have left many resort-goers with
irritatingly homogenous teen lingo and an evil glow in their eyes.
The
five investigate and find a surprising mastermind behind the evil
plot. So as to not spoil the film, let’s just say the villain is
someone from the cartoon series that true aficionados will be happy
to see in the movie.
As
can be expected, there is plenty of madcap behavior, slapstick humor
and more than plenty Scooby-Doo, who is computer generated to
include all the best antics of his animated self. 
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