Scooby-Doo 2: Monstros à Solta

After the disappointing effort of the first Scooby-Doo film I wasn't much enthusiastic about this "Monsters Unleashed". But to tell the truth this film handled the characters better and the climax more interesting, at least in terms of the identity of the villain. It remained true to the original cartoon storyline in the sense that the character of the villain appeared earlier in the film. The dialogues also got better, though abandoning thick sense of humor was impossible. It failed to develop enough chemistry between the members of the gang, which is in fact faithful to the cartoon where in my opinion the characters are quite one-dimensional.

The CGI of Scooby himself has improved only slightly. The monsters could have been designed better, although there are touches of nice imagination e.g. the candy floss monster. The most irritating parts were unnecessary hip-hop dance sequences. Besides such points, Scooby Doo 2 deserves more praise than its prequel.

28 March 2004. What makes this movie delightful is the ability of the direction and live actors to capture the essence of the animated action found in the original cartoon series. A number of the scenes appear to be lifted straight out of the cartoon series like where Scooby Doo and Shaggy are prowling around in a house and you find them carrying each other just as in the cartoon version. There are a number of such scenes that really hit the animated button and is a treat to actually see it transferred onto the large screen with real actors. Though not perfect, this movie has its obvious flaws where some scenes are so overboard that it detracts from the flow of the movie and in some places it drags abit. But overall, the tone, flavor of the movie, even the flairs of emotional drama and simple moral and juvenile dilemmas that the cast face about being a nerd, being cool, being loved add an enhanced quality to this movie targeted towards children (except for the obnoxious product placement at the beginning of the movie). Seven out of ten stars.

So much of the plot and script of this film is absolute trash, but shaggy and scoob are so perfect it cancels all the other rubbish out. Even aged 25 I got so many belly laughs out of the CGI Scooby's antics. I also thought the monsters were pretty cool and the CGI is an improvement on the first film. I also really respect how directly out of the cartoon the characters and outfits are. With that being said, if you aren't ready to turn your brain off and watch a CGI dog in a fake afro do a choreographed dance. This may not be the film for you. I am surprised there was never a third film or a reboot of this franchise.

The predecessor honestly wasn't that bad at all, but was flawed in terms of story and scripting. I really wan't expecting the sequel to be better, and it was. The plot was better, more focused, and a little more faithful to the Scooby Doo cartoons. One thing I appreciated here was that the director sensibly focused on Shaggy and Scooby, and that added to the film's charm, as nobody could resist Matthew Lilliard's goofiness as Shaggy. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini and Freddie Pinze Jnr were very good too, there are some decent jokes and there were some very good action sequences. Out of the supporting cast, Seth Green was a standout as Patrick, and Alicia Silverstone is likable too. My only complaints were that one or two of the monsters could have been designed better, and also some scenes felt a bit rushed. Other than that, an enjoyable film, with an 8/10. Bethany Cox.

OK.... So it's not a great 2nd edition of the potential franchise.... But it is NOT as bad as some people want you to believe it to be, either! If this had been the first film, I think that many would have thought it was much better, but, when you weigh it against the original 'Scooby Doo' movie, it pales....

We still have the cast of "Mysteries Inc" running around in the Mystery Machine van - with Scooby Doo (created in CGI), Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), Velma (Linda Cardinelli) and Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar). This time, they're joined by some old favorites: Seth Green (as a love interest for Velma), Peter Boyle (as the classic 'Old Man Wickles'), Alicia Silverstone (as a great foil for Daphne), 'Inside Edition' host Pat O'Brien shows up and even 'American Idol' alum Ruben Studdard gets a turn to show us his acting chops.

The story line revolves around a reappearance of some of Mystery Inc.'s old school monsters coming back around in town. Alicia Silverstone plays a hard charging, up and coming news caster, trying to get the next big story - and she doesn't care who she crushes in her way up. Seth Green shows up as a curator of a museum to the greatness of Mystery Inc., and cares for all of the monsters that they've caught. It's HIS museum that gets robbed and the monsters come back to life!

The CGI here is just as good as the first time - but there seems to be a bit more of it.... Sure, the story isn't as flashy as the first one, but it's still pretty good on its own merits. There's a lot of flash and sizzle to this film, but it's more like a diet version of the first... still not bad, but sometimes leaving you wanting for just another bite!