Review of Scooby Doo (Widescreen)

Introduction

Considering it was based on a kids` Saturday Morning cartoon series about four teenagers and a talking dog, the amount of interest generated by the announcement of a live-action version of Scooby Doo at times rivalled the buzz heralding Lord of the Rings or the latest Star Wars instalment. Then again, they were talking about Scooby Doo - easily Hanna-Barbera`s most loved, most iconic creation. For a whole generation of thirty-somethings the adventures of Mystery Inc. had been a weekly fixture. There was dependable, straight-laced Fred, pin-up of the group Daphne, the brains of the outfit Velma and of course Shaggy and his dog Scooby Doo. Every week they`d face a ghost, monster or whatever and every week it would turn out to be a guy in a mask (usually a caretaker, or the owner of the property who had a secret agenda for scaring people away). And every week, the villain would, in the process of being frogmarched away by the police, rant that: "I`d have gotten away with it if it wasn`t for you pesky kids!"

The first 1969 incarnation of the show became a tv legend - it`s still being shown around the world. There were imitators, and there were follow-ups. The less said about Scooby`s hyperactive nephew Scrappy Doo, the better. Scooby had entered the consciousness of America - there were teeshirts, there were books, there were pop culture references to it in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" (whose close-knit friends were often referred to as the "Scoobies"). It`s even unofficial rhyming slang, as it "haven`t got a Scooby" - Scooby Doo - Clue. Geddit?

Then last year plans were made to bring Scooby to the big screen. Fans were aghast - who would play the parts? Would a real dog play Scooby? The answers came as the production started up. Scooby would be computer generated. Matthew Lillard from Scream would play Shaggy. Sarah Michelle Gellar from Buffy The Vampire Slayer would be Daphne. Freddie Prinze Jr. would be Fred and Linda Cardellini would play Velma. Rowan Atkinson was to play Mondavarious the owner of Spooky Island and Pamela Anderson would make a cameo appearance. The production of the movie was accompanied by a great deal of hype and counter-hype, with internet spoiler sites such as "ain`t-it-cool" getting much mileage out of the fans` mixed feelings.

So, is it any good?

I have to give an absolutely unreserved "yes! yes! yes!" (steady on, old feller).

As a live-action version of Scooby-Doo, this is absolutely spot-on. Scooby himself is as perfect as you could hope for. He`s not exactly like the cartoon Scoob - he`s better. Although he`s a computer-generated character, you forget that within seconds of the movie opening and you`re just watching that ol` ever-hungry mutt in action. Similarly, you forget the girl being grabbed by the ghost at the beginning is Buffy and theoretically should be kicking his ass all the way back to hell. You`re rooting all the way for Linda Cardellini`s Velma, who is anything but "dorky" as Freddie Prinze Jr`s square-jawed moron Fred seems to think. Of the Mystery Inc. gang, the best performance is Matthew Lillard as Norvelle "Shaggy" Rogers. He has the look, the demeanour and the sound of the Shagster down pat, right to the nervous, cracked giggle he gives at the end of sentences.

I haven`t seen as good a transformation from cartoon or comic to live-action before. The movie has been toned down from a somewhat knowing original version to make it more family-friendly, and some of the deleted scenes on the disc give you an insight into how sensitive that audience can be. The absence of any trailers on the disc could also be attributed to this, as some of the teaser and preview trailers were pitched to the original PG-13 audience the movie was aimed at.

Some gags have translated to the younger audience without any need for caution. A farting contest between man and dog appeals to any age group.

Video

Presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen, as you would expect with a brand-new movie the picture is spotless. Colours are vivid without causing problems and compression artefacting is non-existent. Computer graphics were used extensively throughout the movie, not only for Scooby himself and the monsters, but also much of Spooky Island`s landscape and attractions. I`m an old effects-hound and time was I could spot a matte line a mile off, but some of the work on this picture is nothing short of immaculate - the Spooky Island jet, the establishing shot of the island with its attractions are picture-perfect. Scooby specifically is a masterpiece. He`s fully integrated into every shot, moves and behaves perfectly. The art of computer animation has come a long way with Scooby, but you`ll forget he`s a CG character and be swept along with the silly story.

Audio

The sound on this release is a very pleasing Dolby 5.1 mix with plenty of bass and a nice, wide soundstage. While the soundtrack isn`t as "tricky" as some, it`s fun and cartoony like it should be. Outkast`s "Land Of A Million Drums" features prominently in the soundtrack and menuing system and after a few plays can start to grate.

Features

The disc is heavy-laden with extras. At the top of the pile is deleted footage which can be viewed with or without a director`s commentary. It includes an animated alternative title sequence, some character flashbacks and some fun and games on the island. Sadly none of the racier material is included but then much of that may have been hyped out of all proportion. Still, there`s always the possibility of a "Scooby Doo Unrated" release sometime in the future. With the main feature comes not one but two commentary tracks - one by "the filmmakers", and one by the cast - all four live-action members of Mystery Inc. Admittedly it`s a little self-congratulatory, but it sounds as if the cast had as much fun making the movie. Watch out for the end credits, which are accompanied by a sequence of Shaggy and Scooby having a chili-pepper-eating contest.

Much of the extras are Electronic Press Kit material, such as the behind the scenes documentary and the short docos on "scary places", the Mystery Inc. van and Daphne`s wire fight sequence. There`s a short clip hidden as an easter egg in the main menu of "rain on set" about the torrential rainfall that halted production from time to time. It can be accessed by using the right arrow key from the "spooky extras" option to highlight the Scooby snack on the floor after Scooby has been scared by the ghost. You`ll know it when you see it.

There`s a game on the disc, in the shape of a quiz that picks up objects from a funfair crane-machine (like the one Shaggy uses in the film). Winning the game triggers a short clip about Pamela Anderson`s part in the movie. There is the video to the abominably catchy "Land Of A Million Drums", and an advert for the soundtrack CD. There is also a not inconsiderable amount of DVD-ROM material for computer users. Unfortunately not having those facilities prevents me from reviewing that section of the disc, but they sound like fun for the smaller members of the family. There is of course full subtitling for the hard of hearing.

Conclusion

I liked it. It`s light, frothy, silly fare without a care in the world. I`m sure everybody would like a dog like Scooby Doo, even if he would eat you out of house and home. There`s a good deal of Shaggy and Scooby in all of us, and I think that under most circumstances I would also avoid places with "Scary", "Spooky", "Forbidden" or "Hydrocolonic" in the name.