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Scooby Doo - Live Action Movie [2002]


RRP: £13.99
Our Price: £1.43 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Ghosts haunting spooky old factories? Hip kids being brainwashed? The Darkopalypse about to engulf the world? Scooby-Doo, where are you? But the gang have all fallen out and dissolved the Mystery Inc partnership for good. Jinkeys! Luckily a strange invitation to solve a mystery on Spooky Island has unwittingly reunited the now-flopped members of the team. Can ghoul-getting gang get along again?

The latest in a long line of live-actioned-up retro cartoon faves, Scooby-Doo features superb action set-pieces and seamlessly blended live actor/CGI interaction--our eponymous hero is rendered with particular panache. What's more, the special effects are backed by a scarily well-written script and some frighteningly good performances. The Buffy-tastic Sarah Michelle Gellar was born to be Daphne, and Matthew Lillard is show-stealing as the dream-to-play Shaggy. The characters themselves are darkly developed--Fred is now a vain egotist, Velma a last-picked-at-sport geek and Daphne a Clueless-style airhead. Happily, Shaggy and Scooby are still a pair of snack-happy gormless goofs for whom friendship outweighs all else.

Scooby-Doo manages to be great fun for the kids without neglecting the fans of the original (1969!) series. Alongside the fun, frights and frantic action are clever in-jokes and even a few hints at some rather adult goings on--Shaggy getting "toasted" in a smokey hippy-style camper van may explain why he's always so peckish. Throw in a surprise appearance from a love-to-hate familiar face, some Charlie's Angels-style wire work and a storming rap-rock soundtrack and this'll frighten the life out of the competition. If you're thinking of missing it--Scooby-Don't.

On the DVD: Scooby-Doo is beautifully realised in this anamorphic widescreen transfer--the picture is crisp, the colour dazzling and the sound crystal-clear. The menu screen is entertainingly presented with plenty of extras to explore. Highlights include the "Daphne Fight Scene", the Outcast music video and the "making-of" short "Unmasking the Mystery", which features a rare appearance from an ancient Joseph Barbera and reveals the cast and crew to be a personable, fun-loving bunch. The real stand-out here, though, is the "Alternative Scenes" section. The dropped scenes--which include a superb cartoon intro sequence--really add an extra level of understanding to the film, and one suspects that it's only because of today's attention-span challenged audiences that some of the best bits ended up on the cutting-room floor. --Paul Eisinger

Editorial
DVD Description

DVD Special Features:

Film Maker audio commentary
Cast audio commentary
Featurette "Unmasking the Mystery Behind Scooby Doo"
Never before seen footage
Music video "Land of a Million Drums" by Outkast

Featurettes:
Scary Places - about movie set and design
The Mystery Van - showing inside of Van
Daphne Fight Scene - showing SMG rehearsing fight scene
Hidden feature "Rain on Set" - English subtitles only

DVD-ROM:
One Voice Technology (nagivate through the ROM and complete interactive challenges)
6 ROM "Groovy Fun" Challenges
Scooby Snack Match (classic concentration of matching pairs)
Belch In Tune! (place burps on the musical scale to match the melody)
Nobin' Nabber (Shaggy's carnie game where you position the arm and grab prizes)
DooTown (make it through the obstacle course, duck and jump, and avoid blades and other dangers)
Spooky Smorgasbord (help Scooby build a sandwich from ingredients that are sliding down the counter)
Spooky Groove-A-Doo (match the sequence of plasma dance steps so Fred and Velma aren't discovered)
Downloadables: screensavers, wallpaper, icons, system sounds
Printables: Make your own "Scooby Snacks" box, playing cards, 3-D Mystery Machine model
Web links
Screen Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

Editorial
Synopsis

In this live action rethink of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, director Raja Gosnell puts Fred (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardellini), and Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) back into the Mystery Machine with a CGI version of the canine title character. After parting ways to protest Fred's self-centered treatment of the Mystery Inc. gang, they are brought back together by Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson) to help solve a ghoulish mystery at his teen resort and fun park, Spooky Island.
Although SCOOBY-DOO is primarily a live action movie, Gosnell keeps the characters and visuals cartoonish at all times. For fans of the series, all of the expected trappings are present (from Fred's ascot to the inevitable "meddling kids" line from the bad guy), but the film also pokes fun at these elements throughout, managing to balance kiddie fun with a more grown-up self-mocking. The CGI Scooby is both convincingly lifelike and clearly make-believe, with action that is more silly than scary so kids and adults can enjoy the film together.

Fab for 4 year olds!
Review date: 2008-06-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

We rented this for our 4 year old who watched everyday for 5 days! Sometimes twice a day. He giggled at the gags and was mesmirised by the "monsters & spooks". The farting scene kept both my son & husband endlessly entertained. As parents, we didn't get tired of watching it either.

This is a very good version of the cartoon & Mathew Lillard as Shaggy is fantastic. Linda Cardellini's Velma is very good too - especially the voice.

A great film for all the family. We have now bought the movie.

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Reviews


UNDERRATED
Review date: 2007-08-18 Rating: 8 out of 10

Scooby-Doo is a worthy live action film to a brilliant original T.V. show

Plot: The Mystery Inc. gang have split up and are each off on their own, only Scooby-Doo (Voice of Neil Fanning) and Shaggy (Matthew Lilard) remain together and they own the Mystery Machine. They are called back into action when a strange man shows up and invites them to Spooky Island to solve a mystery. They are convinced when he mentions an all you can eat buffet and are on their way to the airport. There they run into the rest of the gang, Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Velma (Linda Cardellini), and Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Still resenting each other they refuse contact and once on the island they meet the owner, Emile Mondavariours (Rowan Atkinson) who informs them of the problem. He believes that somebody is casting a spell on the visitors who come to his resort. Starting off on looking for clues by themselves the gang realizes after a attack that they need to put their differences aside and team up if they ever want to solve the mystery.

The Good News: This being the motion picture film to a T.V. series that spawned thousands of imitators it had a lot to live up to and it delivers. Since it was released people have bashed this film to pieces, but if you take a minutes and look at it closely it is a pretty underrated film. The actors all do an outstanding job at bringing the gang to life. At first glance Freddie Prinze Jr. may seem like the wrong choice, but he fills Fred's shoes amazingly well with adequate skill. Linda Cardellini portrays the brainy smart Velma we all know, but Linda plays her with a sensitive side which is new and a a nice choice. Sharah Michelle Gellar is the shining light here bringing warmth and believability to her character as Daphne, everyones favorite danger prone female who proves she is tougher than most think in one of the film's best scenes. Matthew Lillard plays Shaggy well and plays off of Scooby-Doo well even though there was nothing there during filming. Lillard's acting is a key success to the film. It doesn't matter how well the CGI Scooby is made Lillard really has to bring it to life by make believing that Scooby is actually there. The whole thing could have gone completely wrong, but luckily this escapes that. Now the question that most people are asking. How does Scooby-Doo stack up? Neil Fanning's has to be the best since the original and the CGI Scooby looks pretty convincing. The action is a big part of this film as it plays a huge part. There are plenty of action scenes to keep you interested. My favorite one probably has to be the castle scene, a ten minute romp where the gang uncovers clues and it all ends in a big bang, but there are many more to more than fulfill your attention. The screenplay keeps thing's nice and simple and so is the direction. Constant and flashy cuts would've gotten in the way here so the direction they took works the best. The film all ends with more action scenes, big bangs, and many great twists. This could've been a lot worse.

The Bad News: The could've taken out the crude humor, but that's my only complaint

Conclusion: See this at any cost if you are a hardcore Scooby-Doo fan and others will all so want to check this out. Recommend

Fine Family Viewing
Review date: 2007-06-23 Rating: 6 out of 10

I am no fan of the cartoons so it doesn't bother me that the characters of Fred and Daphne have been changed to create some sort of dramatic tension. It works. The film is colourful and fun and the monsters are quite scary. I like it. It is a good harmless family movie, ideal for kids 7 - 14. There are some downsides - the plot makes no sense, Rowan Atkinson is on autopilot, and it does plod along at times, but it is pleasantly watchable. The second movie is much better by the way.

Scooby-Doo, Where are You?
Review date: 2007-02-11 Rating: 6 out of 10

I have a confession to make. I didn't grow up watching cartoons. As a result, I've only seen a handful of episodes of this show in my entire life. Yet, I was curious about the live action version, so I finally sat down and watched it.

The Mystery Inc. Gang is in the middle of another exciting case. Yet when they've captured the ghost, something strange happens. A microphone is trust into Fred's face (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and suddenly the gang starts fighting. Velma (Linda Cardellini) is tired of Fred taking all the credit. And Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is absolutely sick of always being the damsel in distress. Only Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby-Doo are interested in staying together. And so the gang breaks up.

Some time later, they are brought back together by Mandavarious (Rowan Atkinson). He owns Spooky Island, a hip college resort. Unfortunately, his guests are arriving as normal college students and leaving as zombies. Will the Mystery Inc. Gang be able to reconcile to solve the case?

The problem with taking a half hour program and making it a full length movie is the added time. The writers tried to deal with that my adding the conflict within the group. However, so little time is spent on it that it feels like an after thought. Instead, the movie spends most of its time focusing on the story, which makes sense for the most part. There's a twist at the end that I thought was just plain weird, but maybe that's just me. Matthew Lillard is the standout member of the cast. His Shaggy perfectly brought the cartoon character to life. And the computer animated Scooby, while looking like a cartoon was believable.

There are some parts that might frighten small children, but most will be ok with it. It's a mixed bag, at least for this non-fan of the series.

Scooby Dooby Doo!
Review date: 2006-04-30 Rating: 8 out of 10

As a big fan of Scooby-Doo cartoons when I was a kid I was interested to find out how this live action film would turn out. It did help that Sarah Michelle-Gellar was in it too as Daphne! There seems to be a small trend of doing films of cult cartoon characters using cgi, Garfield for one. So I'd thought I'd watch it to see how it compares to the old cartoons.
In many ways it stays very faithful to the cartoons. The costumes of the characters are the same, although at one point Velma goes from orange roll-neck top to a skimpy low-neck top. Daphne as well wears revealing tops, seems they decided to spice it up a little, but no complaints! The Mystery machine van is identical as well, and generally the film has the same sense of humor as the cartoons. The only real difference is the decision to make Fred some sort of playboy airhead?!? Also the plot involves the group falling out at the start and going their separate ways, but at least it is a good change and makes the film have more of a plot. The acting is great especially Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and Linda Cardellini as Velma as they get the voices from the cartoons spot on, so much so I thought it may be dubbed!!! There is Rowan Atkinson perfectly cast as a comedy eccentric and a cameo from Pamela Anderson, another one!!
Overall if you take the film in the right context, it is a comedy mainly aimed at kids it is good and mildly funny for the bigger kids among us and Scooby fans from years ago. If you want to relive part of your childhood but brought up to date for todays generation this is perfect for you and your kids! 7/10

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Matthew Lillard
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Linda Cardellini
Rowan Atkinson
Freddie Prinze Jr.

Creators:
Freddie Prinze Jr. (Primary Contributor)
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900234306
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2002-11-25
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 96 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002-06-14
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Subtitled)

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