Scoob!

Scooby-Doo is one property that has probably done just about everything you can think of for a franchise that has gone on for a few decades, I'm not going to even bother listing all the things this intellectual property has had its hand, er, paw in because we could be here all day (or all night depending on when you're reading this...). The news of a big screen reboot just made me go "meh!" at it, on account that this franchise is still going and it seems like they release a new direct-to-video feature or TV series every week at least, but I guess you could do worse since Scooby-Doo these days is mostly stale but not offensive. I didn't mind the look of the characters, you could have done worse in design. I didn't mind the change of voice actors all that much and I like the idea of a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe (Because why not? It's been done before on the small screen and comic strip books). I didn't see it in theatres (Obviously, I don't need to go into the specifics as to why, if circumstances had been different I probably would have seen it in the theater) and I didn't want to spend more than $20 to rent it, so I waited till it came on HBO Max to see it. Overall I would say it's 40/60, 40 percent being good and 60 percent being meh to dire. There are some nice ideas, good voice acting, and funny moments throughout, but the plot isn't particularly well thought out and, as my summary states, it's less of a Scooby-Doo picture and more of a Blue Falcon movie, so much so that I was left to ask myself on repeat "why didn't you just make a Blue Falcon movie, Warner Bros.?" Blue Falcon isn't as well-known a property as Scooby-Doo, so you can have more free reign to do with that in crafting a narrative and potentially gaining a new audience in the process - Worked for Marvel with Iron Man, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, and many others. Will the family like it? I think they will, it has problems but it's not what I would call boring either, wouldn't mind seeing a sequel, just tone down the world building and, I don't know, have some mystery to the plot, because last I checked Scooby-Doo is about Mystery Incorporated.

It started well, with a touching scene of the main characters meeting for the forst time as kids (or puppies, in Scooby's case) and then having one of their traditional adventures. However, this only lasts 15 minutes, and from there the movie stops being a Scooby Doo movie and starts being a superhero movie, with Dick Dastardly as the supervillain, and Blue Falcon and his gang as superheroes, with the Scooby gang stuck there in a movie that is not their own.

Because let's face it, just like in a James Bond movie we have certain expectations, in a Scoob movie we also have expectations, and they are not met. That distinctive type of adventures where they explore a haunted location and, after many scares, end up discovering that it was all a not supernatural trick by some criminal, is not here, except for a brief nod at the beginning. Instead, we get a generic modern children's movie, with characters running around from chase to chase, battle to battle and explosion to explosion without a compelling plot, while making pop culture references. The plot involves saving the world from a large-scale supernatural threat (really supernatural, none of the subversion characteristic of the source material).

So, if we forget about wanting a Scooby Doo movie and focus on the movie we get, it's not very good either. You can see where they try to have jokes for the adult watchers, but they lack the wit and talent to make them funny. They occasionally remember that this is supposed to be a Scooby Doo movie, and they have traditional gags like having Scooby and Shaggy, in the middle of being chased by the critters, turn around and serve the critters as waiters, disconcerting them for a while, but it's too little and done without much talent. You also get a scene where two male characters fight and a female character says it's toxic masculinity, which is kind of a hateful message to send to children.

In short, if you want a Scooby movie, this is not it, and if you want a generic modern kid's movie, this is not a good one.

This movie dies after the first 15 minutes. It starts and it's super cute and actually resembles Scooby-Doo. But then it just goes off the rails. It has stupid cameos, pop culture nonsense like dabbing?? It was so basic. The plot was just nonsense and boring.

I don't love the animation style they look like they are made from each plastic and the voice acting is kinda off putting because for the most part non of the characters sound like any incarnation of them from the past which is strange as some of the old cast members spoke about wanting to return and were disappointed not to be asked.

My other complaint is there want really a main monster to fight against it seemed to randomly pop up in the end. It just didn't seem like Scooby-Doo

I was never really the biggest fan of Scooby Doo. I watched some epispodes, but I never really gravitated to that show and characters. But even with watching so little episodes, you can tell it is very different from the cartoon. It doesn't feel like Scooby Doo. There aren't any mysteries of haunted houses. This is a superhero movie wth Scooby Doo characters.

The villian is actually pretty good. He has a clear motivation and you understand what's he doing and why he's doing it. He can also be funny which is perfect for a kids movie like this.

The voice actors did a good job. The stand-outs for me are Mark Whalberg, Jason Isaacs and Frank Welker.

The movie is really funny and a lot of the jokes land well. Especially with the character of Fred. Whenever he's on screen he gives that funny vibe and you can't help it but to laugh whenever he tells a joke.

The biggest problem for me is that this is just a generic kids movie. It follows the same formula as all kids movies. Set-up a relationship with two characters, seperate them and make them reconcile, earn the power of friendship and save the day. On top of that, add a bunch of pop songs. The movie is afraid to take risks and shake things up. Because that, it doesn't add anything new to the genre, it doesn't add anything new to the Scooby Doo characters and it's just forgetable. If i'm in a mood for Scooby Doo, I won't watch this. I will watch the original cartoon. If I'm in a mood for a 21st century kids movie, I won't watch this. I will just go watch the Lego Movie. My point is that this movie doesn't stand out in any way.

I conslusion, I don't think that a generic kids movie is worth 20 dollars.

4/10 you can skip it, you're not missing much.

This will probably be the entry in the Scooby-Doo franchise that is going to equally divide its audience, with each side giving its own valid reasons. Some viewers are going to appreciate the modernization of the story, while others will wish it had stayed in the late 1960s. Some are going to get a kick out of the pop culture references, while others will ask themselves why they are in a Scooby-Doo movie. Some will appreciate the superhero theme, while others will forget that Blue Falcon and Dynomutt have existed in the past. Some will recoil at the childish crude humor, while others may giggle at it. Some longtime Hanna-Barbara fanatics are going to love the tie-in with other characters, while others are going to call it a forced attempt to kick-start a shared universe. It'll be very interesting to see how the overall consensus falls, and it'll also be up to the individual to form its own opinion. At the end of the day, it's a kids' film. That's the best anyone can say about it. It does what it can to introduce this franchise to a younger generation through those quirks and contemporary computer animation, while at the same time, it does have enough weight in the story and aims closer to the source material than more recent attempts, even when it doesn't always digest easy. It'll be up to you to decide where this lands. Obviously, it's more focused at entertaining today's kids than being a great entry in the Scooby-Doo canon. However, if it connects with the long-time meddling kids that grew up with the characters for over half a century, then it has definitely earned its extra Scooby Snack points.