Random Movie Review - Scoob!

I get it. One of the biggest challenges many studios and filmmakers face when making a cinematic universe is how to establish and go about it. Now we all know that Marvel have done really well with theirs in that they had a roadmap already in place and planned each phase out long before any of the films and TV shows were made with those additional deals that needed to be made to secure Hulk, Spider-Man and all the Fox Marvel characters. Other companies have tried to mimic their success with DC standing a chance now with their solo films and newer cuts of their old films in their own cinematic universe. Then you got other cinematic universes that are still trying to find footing. It can be complicated, but it really doesn't have to be. Which brings us onto this film. Now there are a lot of Scooby-Doo films out there (possibly more than what DC has) and the films that have been released in cinemas were met with a less than thrilled reception for the most part. Live action films based on cartoons just fail to capture the best parts of the cartoons, or they do, but it isn't enough to save the film overall. So I was reassured that this film would be more like the cartoon despite being full CGI. So let's grab our Scooby Snacks and take a look:

The film begins with a possible origin story about how the Mystery Gang first came together. We find out how Shaggy (voiced by Will Forte) found and adopted Scooby-Doo (reprised by long time Scooby-Doo veteran, Frank Welker) as well as how they met and befriended Fred (voiced by Zac Efron), Velma (voiced by Gina Rodriguez) and Daphne (voiced by Amanda Seyfried) on one Halloween night that changed their lives forever. Their lives of course being mystery solvers as a group called Mystery Inc. As time goes on, the gang start to do business with Simon Cowell (voiced by the man himself) who agrees to invest, but only without Shaggy and Scooby. Following an incident at a bowling alley, the pair join up with a superhero on a journey to stop an evil but familiar villain from unleashing a powerful beast onto the world and discover their true calling.

During the film, it's clear that this was always intended to be the start of a cinematic universe for Hanna-Barbera characters. But the way its done is like how most other doomed cinematic universes have tried it; try too hard and be overcomplicated. Putting that aside, this is perhaps the first good Scooby-Doo film to have been released in cinemas had Covid not interfere. It's very faithful to the very first cartoon in nearly every way and doesn't try too hard to bring modern things into the mix. But it can look a bit tacky to some which may be surprising considering that the animation company also made the LEGO films. Despite both those problems though, it's a decent film and perhaps one of a few first films in a cinematic universe that's actually OK despite being complicated with its intentions. 8/10