Scooby-Doo et le Monstre du lac

First, some background: I have no childhood memories of Scooby-Doo, because he did not exist until I was 22 years old. Due to the vagaries of life, I was not aware of Scooby and friends until I was about 35, but I'm glad I've gotten to know them, as they're so inculcated into modern culture. Without having seen them, I would not have known what Deadpool's girlfriend meant when she said "Ruh-Ro!" I've now seen both animated and live-action Scooby tales, and I think this is one of my favorites, and definitely better than the 2018 films. I also prefer it to the 2002 story, with Freddie Prinze Jr. I shall continue to enjoy Scooby in my dotage.

I just watched this movie. For a Cartoon Original, it wasn't that bad. Actually, pretty well done. Scooby and the gang have to solve the mystery of a Lake Monster. It had some funny parts, mainly targeted for younger kids. I have always loved the original series from the 60's. I was pretty disappointed with the other Scooby Doo movies earlier in 2003. The other Cartoon Network one from 2009 was also good. The plot, although not original, still has refreshing parts. I really advise anyone who loved the series as a child. If you only liked the original series and would hat to watch this, then don't. I thought this was a good movie for a Saturday night.

Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster" is one of those movies you throw on during a lazy Sunday when you just wanna chill and laugh a little. It's got that classic Scooby-Doo vibe: Scooby being goofy, Shaggy eating everything in sight, and the rest of the gang trying to solve a mystery like they've got it all figured out... kinda.

What works is that the movie doesn't try too hard - and that's actually a good thing. The actors do a solid job playing the OG crew, and there are a few moments that'll get a laugh just 'cause they're so random or over-the-top.

But let's be real, it's not all smooth sailing. The plot's pretty basic and doesn't bring anything new to the table. If you've seen a couple Scooby-Doo stories, you'll probably guess what's going on early. And the romance between some characters? Kinda awkward, like it was thrown in last minute just to shake things up, but it doesn't really hit.

As for the effects... yeah, they're kinda rough. The lake monster looks more silly than scary, but hey, it's a kids' movie, so it's not tryna be some horror masterpiece.

Bottom line: if you're not expecting anything deep and you just wanna kick back with some popcorn and good vibes, it does the job. Fun, light, and easy to watch - just don't go looking for a mystery masterpiece here.

Velma is the villain, and for me it just doesn't fit the premise of Scooby-Doo. I think Velma is good as a character, I just think it makes little sense. And the relationship between Daphne and Fred feels like it has been slightly weakened In hindsight then the first. I really don't like comparing, but this film just didn't hit the right notes. The summer camp, well it looks beutiful. But with a half backed story it falls flat on it's face. And none of the Characters were particularly interesting, outside of our main ones. So everything feels like it's been slightly weakened in terms of Story. It was short, but it wasn't sweet.

I have been a big fan of Scooby Doo for as long as I can remember. The original series, The Scooby Doo Show and The New Scooby Doo Movies I love, Mystery Incoporated was a pleasant surprise, Shaggy and Scooby Doo:Get a Clue was a disgrace(the only one I hate) and What's New Scooby Doo and 13 Ghosts are growing on me. I have also been pleasantly surprised by most of the animated movies, and the live action ones too. I wanted to like Curse of the Lake Monster but it didn't work for me really. There are some good points, Scooby is very cute, Shaggy is still the likable goof-ball I love and Daphne and especially Velma are spot. I didn't like Fred though(but I actually didn't mind him Mystery Begins), and this is not just because of the appearance, for my liking he wasn't macho or cool enough here. Some of the locations are nice and the soundtrack has this infectious energy. However, the editing is rather sloppy in some scenes, sometimes rather hectic in the more tense moments. Also the writing was weak with one too many gags that tried too hard and failed due to lacklustre timing and insipid dialogue and the story is rushed and predictable with the whole Shaggy and Velma idea absurd and never once believable. None of the support characters struck me as memorable either, and the rest of the acting as well as the direction seemed rather bland for my tastes. All in all, didn't work but not a complete disaster. 4/10 Bethany Cox