Synopsis:
The first full-length animated Scooby-Doo adventure for the big screen is the never-before told stories of Scooby-Doo’s origins and the greatest mystery in the career of Mystery Inc. “SCOOB!” reveals how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved and adventures shared, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global “dogpocalypse,” the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.(from the movie’s website)
Screenplay by: Adam Sztykiel, Jack C. Donaldson, Derek Elliott, Matt Liberman
Starring: Frank Welker, Will Forte, Mark Wahlberg, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Isaacs
My Edition:
Streaming (HBO Max)
My Thoughts:
I don’t know about you, but I grew up on Scooby-Doo. I ate that shit up. Unless Scrappy was involved. I hate that guy.
I still think Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a masterpiece of children’s animated cinema. Ok, maybe that’s taking it a bit far. But still, I love it.
Needless to say, I was excited about Scoob! Or at the very least, I was cautiously optimistic. And in the end, I think it turned out pretty good. Was it the best movie I’ve ever seen? Obviously not – I’m a grown-ass adult, and this is a movie aimed at children. There’s no complex storylines or interesting themes. I wish someone would have given the “this movie’s not actually for you” memo to some of the people who have reviewed it though. Some of those people are absolutely savage in the way they tear this CHILDREN’S MOVIE to shreds for its “shallow plot” or “predictable story.”
Don’t be like them. As children’s movies go, I feel like this one is going to keep the kids entertained. And there are enough fun nods all over the place (to people and stories connected to Scooby-Doo historically) that it will probably keep you, the (I assume) adult, from wanting to beat your head against the wall until it all just goes away.
Velma Dinkley: How is it that you know so much about superheroes and so little about the metric system?
Fred Jones: Because I am an American man.
I’m gonna be honest with you – I don’t have kids. Me, an adult, and my boyfriend, also an adult, watched this all by ourselves while we tried to burn through anything remotely interesting during the month of having HBO Max for Godzilla V. Kong (will be reviewing) and Mortal Kombat (will probably be reviewing – I write this on release day, so we’ll see, but I’m super hopeful). And as fully grown people, we were still able to glean some enjoyment out of it. The Wacky Races angle of it all was super fun.
I did see on the movie’s IMDB site though that it is part of a planned “Hanna-Barbara Cinematic Universe.” If we’re being honest, I’m not sure how to feel about that. Nothing feels special anymore when every god damned property in the history of properties becomes fodder for a shared cinematic universe. I mean, does anybody even want that? Can’t we just have a movie or two and then let it go again for a while? For any property?
Anyway, sorry. I’m through ranting about how frustrating I find the need for shared universes in every movie property in the known universe.
Back to Scoob! It really is a cute movie that highlights not only the friendship between Shaggy and Scoob, but also the friendship between all the members of Mystery Inc. Cuz yeah – Shag and Scoob have a special relationship, but ultimately the gang needs to be together: Shag, Scoob, Fred, Velma, Daphne, and the Mystery Machine. They’re all required for a good Scoob story.
Rating:
Scoob! Directed by: Tony Cervone Release Date: May 15, 2020 Warner Brothers Rated PG 93 Minutes Website
