User reviews

It's been 16 years since this movie came out, and I decided to watch it after browsing the Netflix library while being high. I was looking for the dumbest possible movie to watch, and thought Scooby Doo should do.

Boy, like, how wrong was I? Never knew this was actually a stoner movie. I think it's silly enough to be fun if you watch it sober, but if you're high - it's awesome. Just stack up on scooby snacks and enjoy the ride!

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.

The film concerns about our friends who form ¨the Mystery Inc¨ group . After an acrimonious break up, the Mystery Inc. gang are individually brought to an island resort to resolve strange goings on . After two years separated, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby are mysteriously united together to investigate an issue on Spooky Island. As Scooby Doo ,Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) along with the remaining group (Sara Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prince Jr , Linda Cardellini) are back to solve a case that takes place at an eerie island where occurs weird events including some monsters with nefarious purposes . A theme park affects young visitors in very strange ways . But it seems to be they are brought back as one for more than just solving a magical mystery . Meanwhile Shaggy falls in love with a tourist (Isla Fisher). The equipment members are going out to investigate towards the amusement park, whose owner is a suspect man named named Mondavarious(Rowan Atkinson) . He needs their help, figuring out why the vacationers are leaving mellow and sober . The Mystery Inc soon realize that they cannot resolve this enigma without help from each other .

In this entertaining picture there are comedy , tongue-in-cheek , slapstick, humorous moments, mild diversion and is pretty amusing. All are given an adolescent treatment which means no gore and no bad language just some old-fashioned likable scares , being funny watching humans meld into the CG characters . However , it contains bad taste when takes place a contest about fart jokes between Shaggy and Scooby. Of course , coward Scooby steals the spectacle as food-obsessed canine anti-hero with its grimace , faces and gesture .Many gags are good however the tale sometimes drags. Special mention to gags between Shagg and Scooby,they make a sympathetic comic couple . Movie combines live action with breezy computer generator animation on Scooby Doo creation , special effects are well done . The motion picture is regularly directed by Raja Gosnell who also filmed the follow-up . Kiddies may find the corny, flat humor and bemusing situations , but most adults will be disappointed , exception for the fans the classic cartoon series created by Hanna Barbera. Rating : average but entertaining and clearly aimed at the junior audience . Protagonists' antics might provide the silly smiles , but this cartoonist physical comedy is mostly ineffective . It's followed by a second part in similar style , cast and realization , titled ¨Scooby Doo unleashed¨ with lots of fun and as amused as the first , and will be best appreciated by preteen enthusiasts of the cartoon movies .

This film is nowhere near as bad as the rating suggests, sure it isn't flawless, but a good film doesn't need to be that to be enjoyable. I thought Scooby Doo a colourful film, with some good direction, and very good performances from all involved. The best of the cast were Matthew Lilliard as Shaggy and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, and Rowan Atkinson is amusing as Mondavarious. The film is very amusing at times, especially the scene when Scooby dresses as a Grandma and the scenes in the haunted house. The actress of Mary-Jane is very sweet too. But I will say that the film isn't without its flaws. The plot is a little far-fetched, and some of the farting jokes are very silly. There have been complaints of the Scooby Doo model being charmless, but I disagree. He was quite sweet at times. The only character I didn't really like that much was Scrappy, then again I never did like him, not even in the animated series. Despite these flaws, this film is not bad at all, and I will award a 7/10. Bethany Cox

Potentially Scooby Doo was & could still be, a very good film, but it was let down solely by the plot.

Unlike others I thought the casting was good & there were some good performance, Shaggy particularly & some good scenes & funny moments.

Unfortunately, the storyline was one, largely alien to Scooby Doo, the cartoon & it's viewers. They should've stuck to the tried & tested "old Fred Bloogs, the Lodger in the Shed scaring visitors away" rather than indulging in face & soul swapping & brainwashing.

The pleasure of Scooby Doo is the element of mystery & the whodunnit. There was no real mystery in here at all & nothing to keep the viewer guessing.

The farting & burping scene seemed merely to appease the 3 year olds in the audience, the characterisations seemed a little too different to the originals & I wasn't convinced by 'Scrappy as Villain', but there was enough in the film to still make it a fairly good effort all round.

A low 5/10

Is this an Oscar worthy movie? No. But it's all in good fun, a proper scooby-doo mystery with a few good laughs. The actors are so well cast to play the mystery inc. gang that it makes this movie so much fun. I enjoy watching this from time to time, it a mindless comedy.

As usual with my reviews here's my spoiler-free review of Scooby-Doo 2002 I'll talk about my thoughts, my preparation for rewatching this film, my favourite part of the movie and my overall conclusion/rating! The casting in this movie is perfect my Mum and I both love Scooby-Doo I watched the cartoons throughout my childhood with my Brother Jordy! I went back and played the LEGO Dimensions Scooby-Doo adventure world and this film is wacky cartoony fun! Mathew Lillard is the best actor to portray Shaggy Rogers maybe cuz he's my favourite character in this live-action version of the century! Overall even though it's not as good as cartoons but still better than Scoob that's why I'm giving this a 5/10! Have a great time with this one friends and family!!! XD.

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.

One of my favourite childhood movies. I have a lot of nostalgia for this film and the rating is too low in my opinion.

The live action version of Scooby Doo took me by surprise with how much fun I found it, I really did enjoy the entire cast (especially Shaggy and Scooby) and it's perfect for children. The great Rowan Atkinson even has a role! Plot wise it stands up fairly well too, they'd obviously put some effort into the story and film sets which are quite creatively located on a Halloween-esque theme park. I won't spoil much of the film, but it's a whole lot of fun. The ending was not the greatest in my opinion, but it was definitely unexpected.

I feel like a lot of the negative reviews are unfair, some of the jokes are overly childish and don't land and maybe Sarah Michelle Gellar plays her role a little too much like Buffy instead of Daphne but even these critisms are mild to me. The CGI for Scooby holds up very well for a 21 year old film as well.

7/10: It's good, kids will love it and there's more than enough content for adults and fans of the original series to enjoy too!

Hanna and Barbera are probably rolling in their graves. First of all, let me say that I'm a 25 year old guy (with bad taste) who's been a fan of Scooby Doo since I was born. I've anxiously been awaiting this film since Mike Myers began working on scripts for it years back. I wanna know what the hell happened to his scripts. Although I can't see him as Shaggy (Matt Lillard was perfect in the role), perhaps if they had stuck to Myers' script, the film would have been good instead of the PoS it turned out to be. I promised my sisters' kids I would take them to see it, but after some of the stuff I had heard, I wanted to preview it before taking them (I figured I'd wanna see it again anyway - boy was I wrong!). Turns out it was no worse than the kids' endless viewings of "Dumb and Dumber" on TBS, so I had to sit through this piece of crap twice....what a waste of 3 hours of my life.

First of all, the good things about the film. Matthew Lillard was phenomenal as Shaggy - the movie's only saving grace. The woman who played Velma was also well-cast, though she didn't quite command the same presence Lillard has. Rowan Atkins also gives a good, but small, performance as the owner of the amusement park. The special FX ranged from excellent to abysmally computerized, though Scooby was better animated than I initially expected. And the scene in the castle was beautifully filmed, with a roller-coaster ride of good effects (and one of the only jokes I found amusing - about drinking out of the toilet). The only other joke that I found great amusement in (which flies over the heads of children) is a reference early on to Shaggy being the stoner that everyone's always assumed he is. That's about it for the good qualities, so on to the bad (which I could write a book about).

I could say that Gellar and Prinze were miscast, but after two viewings, I don't think that was the problem. The problem was that they were both badly written/directed. Prinze's Freddy went from being the self-assured leader he was in the show to an ego-maniacal buffoon. Gellar's Daphne became far whinier and self-involved than the character ever was (with the exception of "A Pup Named SD"), which made her far less sympathetic than she should have been. The addition of Scrappy to the cast was a forced and unfunny cop-out. The fact that he's probably the most hated cartoon character of all-time didn't justify using him the way they did (and I'm among his haters).

The script is awful. Bad jokes sporadically thrown throughout the film, which were vulgar and tasteless, made me consider walking out the first time I saw it - and I've never considered walking out on any film I've seen, no matter how bad it was. The farting/belching/peeing scenes were what both audiences laughed most at, though for the life of me, I can't understand why. For them to go to such juvenile lengths to draw laughs, it should prove how bad the script was. And it's a sad commentary on America's sense of humor...the majority of people in both audiences appeared to be around my age.

And then there was the profanity. Daphne utters a line about opening "a can of whoop-ass." Freddy says something about a "byotch." And the villain says he would've gotten away with it "if it weren't for you meddling sons of..." (at which point he's cut off). I use profanity every day of my life so I wasn't offended, but it had no place in this film (and the kids left reciting Daphne's line).

The music is atrocious. With the exception of the David Newman score and around three songs (Simple Plan's "Grow Up," Allstars' "Bump in the Night," and MXPX's "SD, Where Are You?" cover) plus a clever cameo by Sugar Ray (who are far underused), the majority of the songs are insufferable rap songs. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against rap when you can understand what they're saying. But the rap songs here are garbled garbage. Where's Will Smith when you need him (doing the deplorable, almost-as-bad-as-this MIB II...)? Even the clever lyrics of Outkast's "Land of a Million Drums" (which plays over the end credits) can't justify the intolerable rapping. It also seems odd with their appearance in the film that Sugar Ray didn't write an original song, instead recycling a song off of a 9 month old album (though the song was probably new when they began filming, but still...).

It's really sad that a generation of kids are being exposed to THIS variation of Scooby, rather than any of the classic cartoons - even Scooby and Scrappy-Doo (the most deplorable of all the series) was better than this. And it's sad that such a talented cast was wasted. It's sad that as a hardcore SD fan, I'd give this a two out of ten score (solely based on Shaggy and Velma's performances, otherwise it would be none out of ten). But the saddest thing of all is that they'll probably go on to do more sequels of this caliber...

When I first heard about Scooby Doo being turned into a movie, I will confess to being rather reticent about seeing it. I am just old enough to remember the original Scooby Doo cartoons on rerun, and was at the high end of the right target age group when Scrappy Doo hit the scene, and of course remembered Scooby Doo with a certain love. Of course, the cartoon was actually pretty terrible; the writing was bad, the cliches came in at a rate of knots, and the animation was second rate... but that's what we all expected of Hanna-Barbara cartoons.

I digress: I had heard about SD the movie on the Internet quite early in production and let out a groan; my childhood was being raped again for a buck in Hollywood. Why? Why bother??? Then when I heard Scooby was going to be CGI I actually groaned again. Of course, there is no other way you could have pulled Scoob off on-screen without CGI, at least not realistically... but CGI... that's just so passe any more! I still enjoy the artistry in modern CGI, but to me it felt like SD was going to be done just to prove that it COULD be done with modern technology... not to tell a story.

So it came, I read a few online reviews that panned it and failed to be surprised. I caught the trailers and failed to be inspired. I steadfastly avoided the movie theatres and just didn't go see it.

Fast forward to July of 2003; SD is playing on Cinemax (I think) and I've got some time to kill. Aw, what the hell... could be good for background noise if nothing else...

So having sat through SD the Movie, what do I think? Well, as much as I wanted to hate it because it was Hollywood raping my childhood, I just couldn't. I'm not going to say I loved it because that wouldn't be true, but I'll be darned if I can't admit that it was a whole hell of a lot better than I expected. Let me fill you in;

The cast is incredible. They have a real on-screen chemistry that really makes the movie for me. Especially Matthew Lillard as Shaggy... if he hasn't just completely NAILED the character as perfectly as you could in live action, then I'm the queen of France. There's the romantic attraction between Daphne and Fred that comes out on-screen pretty much throughout, and of course the distant attraction Velma had for Fred is right there too. But do I detect a little bit of an attraction to Shaggy? Don't remember that in the cartoon... but I can accept that.

The story? Well, it's a hell of a lot better written than the cartoons! Yes, it borrows heavily from them (and borrows from some of the SD animated movies that have been made in the interim), but still it's an interesting story with a nice twist at the end that had me actually laughing out loud. Not Shakespeare by any stretch of the imagination... but a fun and engaging story that keeps your attention.

So what about the CGI Scoob? Wow is all I can say! I don't know what makes it more, the quality of the CGI or the way in which all the actors really made me believe they were sharing the screen with a 6'5" intelligent dog. The interactions were believable, and not once did I catch anyone making the mistake of looking in the wrong place on-screen (which is clearly evident in many instances where CGI characters are used). The personality is captured perfectly and translates Scooby from the two-color animation of my youth to a perfect rendition of how I envisaged him in my minds eye.

I'm sure many have heard about them already, but there are plenty of in-jokes that pepper the movie for those willing to pay attention. I won't say they're all laugh-out-loud funny, but they are amusing... and it was obvious pretty early on that the film-makers didn't like Scrappy Doo either (I know I didn't... I didn't even like him as a kid), but rather than pretend he never happened (*cough* Galactica 1980 *cough*) they actually bring him to life in this movie too... and actually he has one of the lines that made me laugh out loud (to those who have seen it, it's the line he never finishes saying...)

So did I love it as much as I loved Scooby as a kid? No. The movie was definitely not without flaws, and it did depart from the cartoons in some pretty major ways; for example one of the nice things about the cartoon (looking at it now from an adult's perspective) was that at the end of every episode it was reiterated however lightly that there are no such things as monsters, ghosts, ghouls etc. and that we as people are always responsible for these things. This is something I picked up on as a kid but didn't understand until I was an adult; and kids should be given that reassurance early in life that there are no monsters. The movie departed from that part of the formula... so personally I couldn't recommend the movie to younger (under about 8 or 9) children. However, even with these kids, recommend that a parent watch it with them... but of course there's plenty of adult-type humor in there too that will completely pass the kids by. To me that's the mark of a great kids movie these days; the ability to appeal to all ages.

Overall, I'd say a 7 out of 10.

Huh... This wasn't much a mystery, I must admit. You have no mystery at all, actually. In fact, WTF was the storyline, again? Like you have A huge computer animated monsrtocity in the middle of the screen, and you call it the main character. The jokes weren't even original. They were more like old Shakespeare jokes that the villain would chuckle. Or at least, something from the sixties. Wait... I've laughed at a few things from the sixties. Plus... there's a big thing about real monsters and spirits added in. I actually like the good old idea of taking off the mask to reveal some hick in a costume. Why couldn't there be any clues, any costumes that have style?

Scooby-Doo is full of nostalgia for me. I remember having the VHS tape growing up and watching this movie on repeat. In an odd way it's a comfort film, though the quality is not phenomenal.

On the positive side, the casting is spot-on (Matthew Lillard!), the score is surprisingly tender ("End of the Gang") and there are some clever dialogue moments (the best line below). On the negative side, the plot is muddled, the third act is disappointing and the CGI has ridiculously bad moments.

Honestly, Scooby-Doo is a movie that I will continue to re-watch, mostly because it makes me smile. That being said, the first half is a lot better than the second half.

Best Character: Shaggy Best Moment: Navigating the haunted house Best Quote: "Who's the ugly old broad?" - Fred.

Lame. Shockingly lame. Lame beyond belief.

And cynical, too - Hollywood at its most exploitative and greedy.

The original cartoons were no great shakes, but this... this really lowers the bar for TV nostalgia cash-ins.

And to think that Rowan Atkinson used to be funny.

I actually had a lot of fun with this film on re-watch. Scooby and shaggy are so funny, the rest of the cast is meh. But the film is entertaining enough to pass its runtime with a few chuckles. The devotion to making the characters exactly like the film is both impressive and excruciating.

Scooby Doo is the most loved cartoon of all time for most of us. Warner Brothers absolutely destroyed the reputation of Scooby and the gang. They have been tainted with the culture of the newest generation. The movie was full of boring people and completely lacking of any mystery whatsoever. The ending was the worst ending ever, and to top it all off Scooby was designed by rejects with no imagination. Biggest disappointment ever, this movie belongs on the worst 100 movies of all time.

Scooby-Doo Films in live action do tend to be worse then the animated films. However, with that being said I think this film is slightly above average. I enjoyed it quite abit. It was a film from my childhood that holds a place in mine and many others hearts. The story has a great cast, especially Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) character,she has had a wonderful career. And she's awesomely bad ass here. Who's helpless now, to Velma. The start of the story shows the scooby gang In action, meddling teens messing around. Daphne is always the damsel In distress and it's funny to see her proceeded that way. They then split ways after that. But then hear about an Island, that they have all been asked to investigate. The problem is, they are out of character at the start, it didn't feel right for them to have been split up. However when they get to the Island they all get back together. The farting scene was pretty poor. But the Villains were epic, and the different locations they found themselves in was funny. The musical band turning into evil creatures created for some atmospheric and tension through the film, it's ability to master action, comedy and mystery was brilliant hear. The Film had some great moments with Daphne, she's helpless, fearless and willing to fight for the Scooby gang, whilst Shaggy and Scooby hide away. Also, Shaggy finds himself a love interest, which was explored in the TV show at times, hear it is properly explored and it's good fun. The Story ends interestingly and the film is above average.

Do Not see this film! Apologies if you are hopping, surfing or whatever the word is for reading this page to give this a glorious 2 thumbs up or a 10/10 mark this review is not for you!

However if like me the bile that has built up inside you, days after the accursed event has reached boiling point and you feel that you must reach out to the world and cry "SCOOOOOBYYY DON'T" then this might be slightly more your cup of tea.

First I would just like to point out that this film has NO FUN in it whatso ever.It is unfunny, horribly acted, bad plot and just about the only good thing that happened was that it ended. Oh and that it was half as long as Lord of the Rings.

In fact the only fun that might be even dared to be thought up in conjunction with this unspeakable waste of life is tricking your mate into wasting however long (S)he can stand to remain inside a dark,dank grottoesque hellhole surrounded by hordes of no-longer screaming pre pubescent little horrors, who bored out of their witt's end rely on drinking far too much cola in order that they can leave whichever (soon to be ex best mate's great party idea it was to take his friends to see a once proud and noble cartoon, the stalwart of the cartoon network portrayed like a picasso, lude crude and nothing like the original) that they may spend a blessed few minutes relieving themselves before the ordeal starts again

After some father/Mother dragged a kid to see this epic of rectal proportions I can fully understand the idea of parental divorce.

Thank you for reading and may your life be blessed with the hope that you may never encounter such a villainous waste of £5.50.

I am off to ritually cleanse myself by watching Battlefield Earth and Tomb Raider so that my memories may no longer be tainted by such things as Sara Michelle Gellar trying to be anything other than Buffy.. or that nice pretty young thing she played in Cruel Intentions.

Today, I needed some really really far-out escapism.

Netflix got "Scooby-Doo" in the goofy list, and I thought: why not try this one, at least it has Linda Cardellini and Rowan Atkinson. I didn't expect too much, and I didn't exactly like the cartoon back then.

It had me at the "I'm Mary-Jane!" - "That is my favorite name!".

This movie has so many undertones and little jokes, it's indeed totally goofy (though only his distant cousin is in it, lol), but in a good way. It is very self-aware and may be an insider's tip of a stoner movie.

The key to enjoying SCOOBY DOO is not to expect too much. The producers have billed the film as half homage, half parody; in truth, it isn't really close enough to the original cartoon to be called homage and it really doesn't go far enough to be called parody, and as usual Hollywood makes the mistake of trying to cover up the script's inadequacies with big-budget production values and expensive but actually so-so special effects. All the same, the film does have its moments. The story finds Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy splitting up due to ego conflicts--and then being unexpectedly reunited when the owner of a teen resort called "Spooky Island" invites them in to find out why his guests arrive as normal teens and then depart as, well, ZOMBIES.

The script is fairly mundane, but it does have a few zingers, as when Velma says "Let's get jinky with it!" And although the cast is a mixed bag, they work hard to bring it off. Freddie Prinze is wildly miscast as Fred and Sarah Michelle Gellar is not an ideal Daphne, but they play with tremendous energy; Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini, however, are so dead on target with their performances that they create an amazing sense of deja vu. As for Scooby Doo, he is (of course) a computerized animation. And so are most of the monsters the gang encounters on Spooky Island. Although it works reasonably well, it isn't anything to write home about.

I would recommend that parents preview the film before unleashing it upon their kids; some younger children may be unnerved by the monsters. The DVD comes with a number of extras that include some cut scenes--and they offer an interesting contrast with the film, for they are very satirical. Seeing them left me with the feeling that the film would have been much more entertaining if those scenes had been left in and the whole thing had been done with the same bite. As it is--SCOOBY DOO is neither a great film nor a memorable film. But we're all occasionally in the mood for some mindless fluff, and it fills that niche very well indeed.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer