Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Rowan Atkinson, Isla Fisher, Scott Innes (voice)
Director: Raja Gosnell
Producer: Charles Roven
Screenplay: James Gunn, based on characters created by William Hannah & Joseph Barbera
Cinematography: David Eggby
Music: David Newman
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
Unfortunately, there is an audience out there for Scooby-Doo. It is comprised primarily of Generation X'ers, who wax nostalgic about the "classic" cartoon series, and their children, who are too young to know any better. Scooby-Doo isn't a very good movie (all of the nicknames bestowed upon it by critics, such as Scooby-Don't and Scooby-Doo-Doo, are appropriate), but it has the virtue (?) of being faithful to its source material. So, if you're a fan, the movie will be, at best, a fix, and, at worst, a curiosity.
In his review of this movie, Roger Ebert candidly admits that he has never seen an episode of any of the cartoon incarnations of "Scooby-Doo". I cannot make the same claim. For anyone in the United States who grew up during the '70s and '80s ("Scooby-Doo" ran, in one form or another, from 1969 until 1993), the show was almost impossible to miss, at least for those who lounged around on Saturday mornings watching TV. I was never a habitual "Scooby-Doo" viewer - by the time I was about age 7, I had decided that it was a stupid show - but I saw my share of episodes because I was too lazy to get up and change the channel (this was in the pre-remote control era).
Scooby-Doo captures the essence of its TV inspiration, which is to say that it's not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. It also feels very, very long. The TV series ran either 30 or 60 minutes (with commercials); the movie runs nearly 90 minutes. The "Scooby-Doo" cartoons may have been dumb, but they moved at a brisk pace. The movie drags, and the occasional bursts of mirth and self-referential humor can't save it from bogging down. I found Scooby-Doo to be tolerable for about its first half-hour. After that, I wanted it to be over so I could leave. That's a sure sign that a movie has outlasted its welcome.
Every episode of "Scooby-Doo" follows the same formulaic plot: Mystery Inc., a group of high school detectives, investigates some sort of supernatural occurrence, and, in the end, our heroes unmask the bad guy and prove that there was a scientific explanation for everything that transpired. The movie uses this approach, but, in order to be able to integrate lots of computer-generated special effects, the monsters turn out to be real. So, when Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardellini), and Scooby (a CGI creature voiced by Scott Innes), arrive at the spooky amusement park owned by Mr. Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson), they end up facing real things that go bump in the night, not just man-made trickery.
Scooby-Doo is one of those movies that can be used as an example of why there are times when it's best to show restraint in using computer generated visuals. From the start, the viewer is cognizant that Scooby-Doo and the monsters are special effects. They don't mesh well with the real-life actors - during several scenes when Shaggy and Scooby have contact, it's obvious that Matthew Lillard is working with thin air. In 1993, we marveled at and believed in the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park; a decade later, the same cannot be said of one talking Great Dane. It is likely that director Raja Gosnell (Never Been Kissed) intended for Scooby to look fake - this is, after all, the live-action incarnation of a cartoon character. But I don't think we are supposed to be constantly aware of the importance of computers in putting together this picture.
Freddy Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Linda Cardellini have no trouble essaying live versions of their two-dimensional cartoon counterparts. (This may be the first role for which Prinze's acting style is ideally suited.) Matthew Lillard not only manages to capture the essence of Shaggy, but does a passable imitation of Casey Kasem's voice. Close your eyes and you'll swear that Lillard is about ready to start counting down the hits.
Live-action incarnations of cartoon series have not fared well in multiplexes, either in terms of audience appeal or box office return. Scooby-Doo is not the complete misfire that Josie and the Pussycats was, but it's close. At least in this case, the potential audience is wider. Warner Brothers is obviously hoping that every "Scooby-Doo" fan in the world will run out to see this movie, because, judging by the stupidity of the script and clumsiness of the production, it will hold no appeal for those who aren't already in the "Scooby Doo" camp.
Scooby-Doo, where are you? Hopefully, on a quick trip to the video store.
© 2002 James Berardinelli