a) STORY
Is the story, idea, plot, dialogue authentic and believable?
This film is very true to its source material, it feels like a classic Scooby-Doo episode, but the writers modernize it and turn it up to an eleven. The film is hilarious, full of meta humor, cameos and references to other WB properties (Harry Potter, DC and even A Star is Born). The jokes aren’t only aimed towards kids, but like most of WAG’s animated movies, the film has a plethora of clever jokes for the adults. The film also has a very intriguing mystery, is packed with action and wears its heart on its sleeve.
Did you care about the main characters, why?
SCOOB has the added benefit of being a popular IP so there is already a fanbase for Scooby, Shaggy and the gang but this film does a good job making you care about these versions. The film starts off with a flashback of how the gang met and the storylines of both Shaggy and Scoob are established really well thanks to the great script and the adorable animation.
Did the sub-plots work? Why?
The film’s message is about the importance of friendship and the love people have for their dogs and all the characters connect to the main theme.
Story Score: 98/100
b) ACTING
Every actor gave it their all, this was not a paycheque gig for any of them. Will Forte didn’t just do a Shaggy impression, but he made the character his own by giving him a lot of layers. Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, and Gina Rodriguez as Fred, Daphne, and Velma aren’t given a lot of screen time, but all make an impression with what they are given, especially Efron. Mark Whalberg and Ken Jeong as Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt kill it, both actors are hysterical giving us some of the best laughs. Tracy Morgan has a cameo and does an excellent job, when he shows up, I was so excited, it just made the movie that much better, his voice fit the character so well. Frank Welker returns as Scooby-Doo and has a surprising amount of lines. The real standout was Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly, I didn’t recognize his voice because he just went all in with his performance.
Acting Score: 97/100
c) TECHNICAL
How did the following elements influence the mood of the film:
Animation?
The animation was remarkable. It’s as if they took the original cartoon and upgraded it to 4K quality. You feel like you could pet Scooby and many shots of their surroundings look real.
Editing?
The pacing of the movie was good, it kept the energy up to hold a kid’s attention without going too fast that it loses the adults.
Audio/music?
The soundtrack was amazing, it added to the energy of the film and fit in well with the world they created. It is one of the better animated soundtracks recently, most of the songs used were a part of the jokes.
Colours?
The colors were mesmerizing, I don’t want to spoil anything so all I’ll say is the entire third act had me in awe, thanks in large part to the colors.
Set design?
The design of both the Falcon Fury and Dick Dastardly’s ship were both really unique and stunning at the same time. All the locations were well designed.
Costumes?
There isn’t much to say about the costumes, but I’ll say I didn’t like Dee Dee Sykes’ costume because it was too similar to Captain Marvel, and Scooby gets a costume mid-way through the film that is hideous.
Technical Score: 95/100
d) ADD
Add up the marks of your review
290/300.
Give the film a total percentage.
97%
Make a concluding sentence or paragraph.
I would have liked to see this on a big screen, with a bunch of overly priced food, in the company of my friend, but I think Warner Bros made the right decision by putting this film on PVOD. Trolls World Tour made $30m in its first day and I think that this could potentially make more, Scooby-Doo is a stronger IP than Trolls, this has an all-star cast, and is just a better movie that can appeal to people of all ages. I hate the PVOD model for two reasons, because there are way too many distractions at home making it hard to get fully immersed in the movie and because I have to pay to see these movies at home. I tried to watch the new Capone movie with Tom Hardy, and it was so bad that I turned it off halfway, I haven’t not finished a movie in years. They set up a sequel in this film and I hope that it not only gets made but that it goes theatrical, it sucks that audiences can’t watch this one on a big screen, but I work at a theatre so as soon as we re-open, my friends and I are making popcorn, going into the AVX theatre and projecting it on that beautiful silver screen.
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