Scoob! Review

Possible Spoilers Ahead!

“Scoob!” is directed by Tony Cervone with a script by Adam Sztykiel, Matt Lieberman, and newcomers Jack Donaldson and Derek Elliott, from a story by Lieberman and Eyal Podell and Jonathon E. Stewart. But rather than a classic mystery, “Scoob!” sees the Mystery Inc. gang split up, with Scooby (Frank Welker) and Shaggy (Will Forte) teaming-up with the Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg) and his associates, Dee Dee (Kiersey Clemons) and Dynomutt (Ken Jeong).

This leaves Fred (Zac Efron), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried) and Velma (Gina Rodriguez) to figure out the real mystery on their own. But the gang soon discovers that Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs) is after Scooby to complete his evil mission. Now, Fred, Daphne, and Velma must track down their friends on an adventure that takes Scooby and friends all around the globe.

In the process, Scooby and the others meet several other Hanna-Barbera characters like Captain Caveman (Tracy Morgan). However, even if they are successful, it remains to be seen if Scooby and Shaggy’s friendship will survive the ordeal. If not, then this might be the end of Mystery Inc. as we know it.

I have a confession to make: I’ve never been a Scooby-Doo fan. The only good memories I have of Scooby are his team-ups with Batman and Robin and the Harlem Globetrotters. Now that I think about it, I was more of a fan of Jabberjaw, which is ironic since the two shows have a ton of similarities. But for some reason, I always found Jabberjaw’s adventures more entertaining while anything with Scooby-Doo I found repetitive.  So going into “Scoob!” my expectation was low.

Thankfully, “Scoob!” is a complete reinvention of Scooby-Doo and friends, one that brings the characters into the 21st century. The movie doesn’t waste time getting the main plot going, starting when Shaggy meets scooby when they were young. Shaggy is a lonely kid who longs to have friends, and Scooby answers the call. The rest of their pals (and their first mystery) arrive on Halloween and “Scoob!” is off to the races as the friends become young adults.

Many viewers will recall how most of the scary stuff the team faced was always fake and a way to cover for something else. In the movie, you get some of that, but it’s done tongue in cheek which I liked. I won’t say the film makes fun of the original material, but there are a wink and a nod to the sillier aspects of the classic cartoons. But don’t worry, there is still plenty of silliness in “Scoob!” for you to enjoy.

While the Mystery Inc. gang faces of againstDick Dastardly, “Scoob!” is all about friendship. Shaggy and Scooby don’t know if they belong in the team anymore after Simon Cowell (yes, that Simon Cowell) tells them that Fred is the muscle, Daphne the charm, Velma the brains. This was an interesting angle to take these characters in, but somehow the filmmakers pulled it off. This is probably due in part to the talented voice cast assembled for the film.

Will Forte is almost unrecognizable as Shaggy. It’s been a while since I enjoyed anything Forte has done, but he won me over by playing a likable dim-witted but lovable Shaggy. Forte dilled Casey Kasem’s shoes quite nicely. Meanwhile, Zac Effron is hilarious as Fred. He has a couple of scenes that had me in tears from laughing. One of them is when the Mystery Machine gets pulled over, the other scene comes in the final act of the film. Daphne (voiced by Amanda Seyfried), and Velma (voiced by Gina Rodriguez) does a good job as well, but the scene-stealer in the cast is Mark Wahlberg as Blue Falcon. I hope after this he gets more voice work because he was terrific in “Scoob!”

However, my favorite aspect of “Scoob!” is that it gives a little bit of a spotlight to some of the lesser-known characters in the Hanna-Barbera world. It looks like the film is aiming to set up a new cinematic Hanna-Barbera universe. But I’m okay with that because I like a bunch of this character and most of the cameos in “Scoob!” are fun and memorable. And I can easily say that after watching “Scoob!” I need a Captain Caveman spinoff.

From the reviews I’ve seen and read, “Scoob!” is getting shredded by critics. My guess is these are Scooby-Doo purists who don’t want to see these characters changed or updated in any way. But since I’m not in that camp, I didn’t have any issues with the changes “Scoob!” made.

Yes, “Scoob!” is a bit silly and oddly plot-heavy when it comes to Alexander the Great mythology. But I still loved every second of this film. I think I finally understand why Scoob-Doo has been a fan favorite for decades. This movie was a lot of fun and I would love to see more of the Hanna-Barbara characters in this world.

“Scoob!” grade: B+