Scooby-Doo

Scoby do > shawshank aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

This is probably the best live action adaptation of an animated show. It manages to evolve the original show into and idea that really fits the characters and one that we hadnt seen up to that point. The humor is also a positive for the movie, while it is clearly aimed at kids, it also adds a lot of clever and funny adult jokes which you can laugh at almost any time. Overall, a really good adaptation of the OG show.

This movie works because it tries to mimic the cartoon in many ways. Even the first shot looks like the first shot of the cartoon with the fog and the creepy old house. I had originally thought that the CGI Scooby would bother me during the movie, but I was completely wrong. I only really thought about that the first time Scooby is shown. After that the dog was Scooby to me because the things he says and the way he says them are accurate to the cartoon. The movie is pure cheese, but so was the cartoon. "Scooby-Doo" has maybe the most effective farting scene since "Blazing Saddles." Most fart scenes just come off as gross and not very funny, but in the world of Scooby a fart scene works. One interesting aspect of the film was seeing Rowan Atkinson in a role where he actually talks...a lot! I hope he gets more chances at dialogue-heavy roles here in the States. Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy all feel like their cartoon counterparts adding to the effectiveness of the movie. Lillard is amazing as Shaggy because he gets his voice to sound like a carbon-copy of the cartoon Shaggy. This is a fun movie to watch because you can turn your brain off and just enjoy the show.

This might be a disappointment to die hard Scooby Doo cartoon fans, but I enjoyed it. I thought the gags were hilarious, and since I never cared for Scrappy Doo, I was especially fond of the end. I think Matthew Lillard should get an academy award for the way he interacted to a character that wasn't even there. In my mind, every time I see a Scooby Doo cartoon, I will picture him as Shaggy. It also brought the characters even more alive for me when the "human" sides of their personalities came out. It's really reaching to think that a group of people would be able to spend that much time together and not have individual jealousies and get on each other's nerves. I can't wait to see the sequel.

Years ago, I watched and loved both "The Brady Bunch Movie" and "A Very Brady Sequel". Why? Because instead of just trying to recreate the original characters, the filmmakers made a very funny film that poked fun at the characters and plots of the original show. Had they simply made a movie with Brady characters it would have been pretty dull.

I mention this about the Brady movies because the movie "Scooby-Doo" manages to work for much the same reason. Yes, it brings back characters folks loved as kids...but it also pokes gentle fun at the trops from the old cartoon series. It also featues an ending that is hilarious because it picks up on fan's and what they really want from a reboot...and it works very well...though I'll say no more because I don't want to spoil the film for you. Well worth seeing and fun.