“Scoob” was supposed to hit theaters today and it would have gotten away with it too if not for this meddling virus.
Instead, it hits VOD and it brings up a good point. A movie like this and “Trolls” really should be going straight to home screens.. every time. Parents should be thrilled that they 1) can keep their kids occupied for 90 minutes and 2) also not have to watch it. It’s two of “Scoob’s” very best features.
It’s not that this is a bad movie..it’s just that it’s a bad movie if you remember Scooby Doo, have an affinity for “Mystery Inc.”, or like movies that don’t feel like a huge pop-cultural buffet line.
This serves as an origin story but also as something that wants to go as big as it possibly can. That its main goal is starting a franchise is all but assured.
The “Mystery Inc.” team first meet as kids. Shaggy is lonely and finds a best bud in a lost dog he names Scoob. Scoob speaks in full sentences, a sure sign we’re not going to get any sight gags of Scoob trying to mime his fright as he so often does.
Fred, Velma, and Daphne come into the picture on Halloween night, the team bonding over Harry Potter and Ruth Bader Ginsberg before accidentally thwarting the movie’s first of two villains.
As adults, the team looks for sponsorship and gets it from none other than Simon Cowell. My question is why does Simon Cowell figure so much into this thing in the first place? Is he a producer? Are kids still clamoring for more of him?
Maybe the biggest blunder here is that the movie isn’t really a mystery. We get that right away when killer robots start attacking Shaggy and Scoob. Soon they are beamed up to a sleek “Avengers” like space carrier where they’re consigned to work with superhero Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg).
Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs) is the villain, not so much the mustache-twirling villain trying to win a road race he often is but as a megalomaniacal monster who confusingly needs Scooby to fulfill some kind of apocalyptic prophecy.
This movie is filled with action that should please young kids. The messages of friendship and true heroism are nice. It’s fast-paced. It’s bright, colorful, and pretty much perfect for a generation raised on “computer graphics or bust.” That’s probably enough for them.
Long before the Mystery Inc. van gets turned into a hellicarrier that can shoot missiles it becomes pretty obvious this doesn’t feel much like Scooby at all though. Most of the jokes are pretty stale, the soundtrack is loaded with collaborations from modern day artists, and the cast, particularly Will Forte’s in-and-out impression of Shaggy, seem pretty detached. It’s enougn to make you long for the days of Freddie Prinze Jr. and Mathew Lillard.
Grade:
