Scooby-Doo et le Monstre du lac

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.

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.

This Scooby Doo movie was a bit light on the Actual Scooby Doo. Whether it was just too hard to act with an imaginary dog, or too expensive to animate him into every scene, the gang spends a lot of time with out Scooby. Which makes the Mystery fairly easy to guess who the monster is.

On the up side, there are some great Rubber Suit Frog Monsters! And there is a wonderful "By the Light of the Moon" sequence too. Generally I hate songs in cartoons, but this one was awesome.

There was a lot of great touches that made this feel like a Japanese TV show of the likes of Ultraman or Masked Rider. The cartoon feel was prevalent, though many gags failed.

The cast was pretty good. Coming off the first one, "The Mystery Begins" I feel they gelled better this time out. Shaggy does steel the show.

I think more money and better production values would have helped, and maybe a better helmer, but I enjoyed it and look forward to the next one.

I'm a fan of the original animated Scooby Doo TV series (1969-1970). It was against these episodes I judged the theatrical releases Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby Doo 2: Monster's Unleased (2004). When I saw Curse of the Lake Monster was a feature length movie, without thinking about it I had my expectations set for something comparable to the two theater releases. Oops! Curse of the Lake Monster was a B-movie in many ways, including overt over-the-top acting. I'm not a fan of B-movies and must confess to having some trouble sitting through it all. I would say the movie is a bit worse than Scooby Doo 2. The pace was good and the plot moved along reasonably well. I had no problem at all with the special effects--they were fine.

I consider the brown-haired Fred a production decision blunder. While it stopped bothering me half way through the movie, I never started thinking of Fred as Fred. He was more like a new character to me. Shaggy is very difficult to translate from animation to live action, and I think greater energy put into the character would have been an improvement. The girls will be played better as the actresses gain in confidence and experience.

If you liked Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleased, then Curse of the Lake Monster is probably worth watching.

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.