Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico

Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico (2003)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Scooby and the gang get an invitation to come see a friend in Mexico for the Day of the Dead festivities but as soon as they arrive there they learn a Bigfoot like monster is haunting the people. Soon the Mystery Machine is out trying to determine who is trying to scare people off.

This entry in the movies of Scooby-Doo isn't nearly as bad as its reputation makes it out to be. While the film certainly isn't among the best movies from the franchise, it's at least entertaining, colorful and offers up a pretty good monster and a nice little twist at the end. I will say that the only disappointing thing is that there wasn't more comedy because many of the comic bits fall flat.

With that said, I really enjoyed the look of the Bigfoot monster as well as the myth surrounding it. I thought visually the monster looked extremely good and it was certainly entertaining enough to keep you caught up in the story. The animation, as you'd expect, was very good as well as the vocal performances. I really enjoyed the colorful nature to the animation but I will say it's a shame that the Day of the Dead ceremony wasn't used more. Still, if you're a fan of the series then you should enjoy this one.

Some redeeming factors include that the location is a different country, the movie keeps the series running, will keep child fans entertained, and the music is above average. Perhaps the the best and surprising part is finding out that Scooby ends up having a gal in Mexico. Otherwise, I'm thinking this one could've used more comedy, twists, and better cultural immersion. The Chupacabra was the biggest puzzle, they should've gone for the gollum-like vampiric creature instead of grape ape.

Back again in the brand new slicker animation form, the Mystery Inc gang head down to Mexico to visit Fred's e-mail pal but get caught up in the Chupacapra mystery as said beast begins terrorising the locals. It's not very good as the plot is practically discarded in favor of endless running around scenes and over-indulgence in set pieces.

The recent Scooby Doo feature-length animations have had decent stories, nice atmospheres and a couple red-herrings. It's very post modern and has certainly help revamp the franchise. But Monster of Mexico feels very dated and 60's. The gang are back wearing their old clothes instead of the modern gear they wore in the first four animated movies.

The ending is no surprise and completely unsatisfying. I don't like it. I wish for the next one to be a little more sophisticated. I mean children are intelligent and they deserve intelligent entertainment. Monster of Mexico may have been okay back in the 60's but in the modern day it's quite poor.

The DVD has a great 1.33:1 picture and a rather good Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. The extras are rubbish apart from the commentary by Shaggy and Scooby which is actually a really neat touch. I was excited at the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman trailer featured here but it's 20 seconds long and shows you nothing. What's the point?

Monster Of Mexico is one of the weaker Scooby Doo movies I've seen. I am not saying it is the worst, I am merely saying that this could have been so much better. On the plus side, the animation is not at all bad, and neither is the voice acting. There are some nice characters thrown into the mix. However, what didn't wow me as much, was the rather unimaginative plot, and the perpetrator I found rather obvious. Also I never was fond of the soundtrack either, at the end of the day, it felt rather monotonous for my liking. There were times when the mystery got very predictable, like when Louis claimed to have been hit on the head, and the gang suspected he was faking it, I was thinking now where have I heard that before? The dialogue wasn't particularly that inspiring either. I am not saying that Monster of Mexico was a terrible movie, it wasn't, it just didn't work for me that's all. If you want a great Scooby Doo movie, try Witch's Ghost, Goblin King or Zombie Island. And Pirates Ahoy! was fun too. 4/10 Bethany Cox

This movie had a lot going for it. The voice cast, sound effects and smoother animation felt more like the original Scooby Doo and I appreciated the classic feel. I really liked that Scott Innes was not voicing Shaggy. Velma is good for relating some good Mexican history. The behind-the-scenes, blooper reel and cast commentary on the DVD are great! There were definitely parts where the plot was interesting and a lot of vintage Shaggy/Scooby comedy that made us all laugh.

That being said, the plot didn't hold together very well for me. Somewhere in the middle, things get a little TOO confusing and far-fetched, even for Scooby. The story seems to slow down and then jump ahead making the movie lurch along awkwardly. Daphne's voice seems slow and... old! The dialog really dragged in parts. The extra characters didn't have much personality or add interest to the movie, they were just... there.

Overall the movie was OK and my kids enjoy it now and then. Not the greatest... but pretty good.