SCOOBY-DOO (2002) / ** 1/2
Directed by Raja Gosnell. Screenplay by James Gunn from a story by Craig Titley and Gunn, based on the characters created by Hanna-Barbera Studios. Starring Freddie Prinze Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard. Running time: 87 minutes. Rated PG for frightening scenes. Reviewed on June 19th, 2002.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Two years after they split up, the Mystery Inc gang of hunky Fred (Prinze), ditzy Daphne (Gellar), brainy Velma (Linda Cardellini), cowardly Shaggy (Lillard) and their talking dog Scooby-Doo (Scott Innes) are reunited by Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson). Mondavarious owns the Spooky Island amusement park, and he wants Mystery Inc to discover why his guests' behaviour changes so radically during their stay. Can the gang overcome their differences and solve the case?
Review: I'm a lifelong "Scooby-Doo" fan. It was my favourite cartoon as a child, and I still enjoy it enormously. Happily, I was not disappointed by the new live-action "Scooby-Doo"; I thought it was a lot of fun. Would I say the same if I weren't already a "Scooby" aficionado? Unfortunately, I doubt it. "Scooby-Doo" is a movie aimed squarely at those well-versed in the cartoon. Many of its laughs are derived from it being a half-homage, half-satire of its animated progenitor. Very few are "standalone" in nature -- and these tend to be the weakest. Even the revelation of the villain is intimately tied to the cartoon lore. That being said, "Scooby" novices should find at least a few laughs here, especially if they're able to buy into the notion of a talking, sleuthing canine. Scooby himself is nicely animated, and voiced to perfection by Innes. Also splendid are Lillard and Cardellini, who amusingly and faithfully bring Shaggy and Velma to life. Less successful is Prinze, who is astonishingly lacking in charisma as Fred. Gellar struggles gamely with Daphne, but has a hard time making her anything other than a dumbed-down version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The story itself is typical, entertaining "Scooby" fare, but I think it goes the wrong route -- as has much latter-day animated "Scooby" -- by actually indulging in the supernatural.
Copyright © 2002 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html
| Shannon Patrick Sullivan | shannon@mun.ca | +---------------------------------+---------------------------------+ / Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) go.to/drwho-history \ \__ We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars __/
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