The reboot of the "Scooby Doo" franchise starts strong, showing the origins of the relationship between Shaggy (voice of Will Forte), and the lovable, crime-solving titular Great Dane (Frank Welker).
With a somewhat updated sensibility but a certain respect for its origins, "Scoob!" even elicited a few goosebumps when it recreated the iconic "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" opening credits.
And I was certainly hoping for a fun mystery with the gang, with a promising crossover with erstwhile Hanna Barbera icon Blue Falcon, one of my favorites from my childhood. And indeed I was excited at this prospect for three reasons: 1) crossovers are a time-honored Scooby Doo tradition, from Batman to the Harlem Globetrotters, to any number of other copyright-appropriate partners, 2) this feels like the start of a Hanna Barbereaverse (And why not? Look at this rogue's gallery from which to choose), and 3) Blue Falcon is awesome.
But that's where the nostalgia ends. This version of the tale gets too much wrong, shoehorns in too much, and deviates too much to hit all the feels, dropping Scooby and the gang into a lame superhero movie
The story: the ghostbusting syndicate Mystery, Inc. gets caught up in a struggle between the superhero Blue Falcon (voice of Mark Wahlberg), and his nemesis Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs).
Dick's plot revolves around unleashing a mythical ghost dog upon the world, and Shaggy and Scooby join with Blue Falcon and his sidekicks Dynomutt (Ken Jeong), and Dee Dee (Kiersey Clemons).
Only this is a next-gen hero--OG Blue Falcon's son, Brian, who doesn't quite measure up to his Pops. So Dynomutt and Dee Dee don't respect him, and his heroism is all a show, ego gone wild, and an excuse for empty bombast (not a completely off-base metaphor for this entire film).
Meanwhile, Fred (Zac Efron), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried), and Velma (Gina Rodriguez) amble about after their missing partners, finally catching up for a vapid finale that only features their signature unmasking as a punchline, and this trio's story is tacked on and boring. The climax doesn't even really solve a mystery, only resolving the conflict between hero and villain via a CGI monster.
Okay, so the entire FILM is CGI, so of course the final monster would be. But you get my point.
And sandwiched in the middle of it all is a lame, limp subplot where Shaggy and Scooby find themselves at odds with each other as Scooby is recruited by Blue Falcon and his team. The insecurity of friendship is a well-worn animated trope, one that rings especially hollow here. Scooby and Shaggy do NOT have a complicated relationship, and this device feels weak, and is a disservice to the film overall.
Oh, yes, and Captain Caveman, voiced by Tracy Morgan, gets a cameo as well, for a strange, "Gladiator"/"Thor: Ragnarok" type interlude toward the end of the film that goes nowhere and mostly just interrupts the film's already-waning momentum.
It's easy to see what WB was trying to do here: cash in on a bankable property, return Scooby Doo to his animation roots after a live-action foray (albeit it in a big-screen kind of way), and cram a handful of other Barbera characters in.
But those in charge failed to understand the mythos of feel of Scooby Doo. This is a horror comedy franchise, one that should have equal parts spooky mood (albeit to a kid-friendly degree) and bumbling theatrics.
But if you're itching for some Mystery, Inc. action, I recommend 1998's "Scooby Doo on Zombie Island," a phenomenal updating of the material that loses none of the Scooby spirit.
This one just doesn't feel true to its nature, and feels more interested in Simon Cowell cameos than making a fun flick. How 2000s of you, Scooby.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzlEnS7MmUo