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Post by russm on May 15, 2020 11:18:03 GMT -5
The Escapist
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Post by Doo on May 15, 2020 15:12:26 GMT -5
*SPOILERS* (note this is the same review I posted on my blog)
This was an awesome movie! I thought the plot was amazing, as was the acting. I really didn't mind any of the new actors. All four of the main cast did a great job, and I thought Amanda Seyfried as Daphne was the standout actor for me. I loved Ken Jeong especially as Dynomutt and thought he was excellent in playing a more serious version of the classic character. Everyone else did a great job I thought as well, but Jeong and Seyfried really stuck out to me as doing a great job.
The kids also all did a great job, especially Daphne and Shaggy's. I'll admit, I was actually familiar with Iain Armitage, who played young Shaggy, as he's the main character in another show I love, Young Sheldon, which has referenced Scooby three times in its three seasons and I've written fun facts about it before!
In terms of the characterization, I thought everyone was spot on. No one seemed out of character, and the few supporting characters that had their characters changed all seemed reasonably so. I liked that Blue Falcon wasn't the original Blue Falcon, but rather his son Brian. It was a cool touch and I didn't mind the change-up there. I also really liked how Dynomutt was much more serious as a character. Despite his goofiness back in the 70s, this version of Dynomutt really worked for me.
Regarding Captain Caveman, I was expecting him to be a much bigger part of the movie. He was in such a brief part of it, which I didn't think was bad, just more unexpected than anything. I honestly thought the other two Teen Angels were going be in the film too besides just Dee Dee! This must take place before that though, since Captain Caveman didn't seem to know her. Dee Dee was a really nice character as well, and I greatly enjoyed her presence as a strong feminine leader.
I really liked Dick Dastardly as a villain. Jason Isaacs did an amazing job taking on the role, and Dick seemed like he was exactly like he was in Laff-a-Lympics (as Dread Baron...never watched Wacky Races personally). I absolutely adored the plotline of Muttley being lost in the underworld...it made me actually feel a little bit for Dick...until the end at least lol.
In terms of villains, Cerberus had an amazing design. He was a super cool villain and I almost wish he would have been just a little more prominent in the film!
The comedy was top notch and Scooby was super funny and witty. I especially enjoyed the IKEA joke and him randomly asking if Muttley was chipped haha. And speaking of comedy, Simon Cowell was certainly an interesting addition to the film lol. It was interesting how he wanted to invest in Mystery Inc. as a business and how he was repeatedly brought up throughout the film. It seemed like they almost combined the three groups of prior live action film series for this film...Shaggy and Scooby wanting to prove they're not screw-ups like in the first two, the origin story like the two prequels, plus all the robots and technology of Daphne & Velma.
It was also really neat how they had all the other Hanna-Barbera characters like Jabberjaw, Magilla Gorilla and Atom Ant (was that the third one?) become part of the Falcon Fury during the credits.
I felt the plot was just top-notch and I love how it sort of felt like a mystery but a bigger, more expanded one that didn't necessarily have to do with a ghost/monster until the end, but still had the unmasking and all the clues. Such an aspirational plot definitely made for a great Scooby movie! I didn't mind that the mystery wasn't centered around a monster, and Dick Dastardly and his robots, as well as the looming threat of Cerberus, made good villains.
With references galore and such a tearjerking plot (especially that ending! I almost cried lol), this is an amazing film that I would definitely recommend as a must-watch for any Scooby fan.
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Post by 24994j on May 15, 2020 17:38:34 GMT -5
I saw a review elsewhere that suggested that there wasn't so much a mystery, as it played more like a superhero movie. While technically true, the Scooby library is so vast that the main gang can play across different plotlines and formats, if the characters are done right...as was the case here. Shaggy and Scooby are a constant, but in the realm of modern Scooby, this was my favorite characterization of Fred, Daphne, and Velma since the late 90's films. All three personalities resembled other recent portrayals, but with necessary restraint to make them feel like real people, and not caricatures. Take Velma, for example. She's shown here as a having a little edge, still being a know-it-all, but not in the insufferable, condescending way we've seen in recent years. It made those members, in particular feel more fleshed-out. Even if the gang didn't 100% look and sound like we're used to, I felt absolutely no disconnect, because they nailed the characters' other aspects and traits. The plot was kinda hit and miss, for me, but the characterization of the core five, in addition to the secondary stars, is what made me like it. Honestly, my only regret was not being able to see it in theaters.
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Post by wileyk209 on May 15, 2020 21:18:52 GMT -5
I sure enjoyed it, even with the somewhat different designs and voices. It was fun seeing the Scooby gang, Dynomutt and the son of the Blue Falcon, Captain Caveman and Dick Dastardly all in the same movie like that, and I LOVED all the Hanna-Barbera in-jokes in the background and such (I got a chuckle out of the scene at Takamoto Bowling, with Scooby bowling like Fred Flintstone. Did anyone else also catch the Hex Girls poster in the amusement park?) I also enjoyed how Dastardly was somewhat of a master of disguise, with way better masks and suits than he used in the original "Wacky Races!" I also liked the flashback to when they were young; it did give me these "Pup Named Scooby-Doo" vibes, even if it didn't have Red Herring. They even used plenty of Hanna-Barbera sound effects, but largely only in comic moments (especially with Scooby and Shaggy, Brian the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt, and Dick Dastardly and Muttley); otherwise they'd be more realistic or modern, typical for a CGI animated film (I wasn't surprised to hear the "Dolby Digital Thunderclap" at one point, like in "Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated" and the two live-action theatrical films and various DTV animated movies.)
The main plot was a nice break from the usual mystery formula, and a good start to this H-B Cinematic Universe. But there were a few things I DIDN'T like, such as some of the use of pop songs, Fred and the Blue Falcon's scatterbrained ditziness (with Brian and Dynomutt, it was pretty much the opposite of the original show!) and that pterodactyl droppings gag... ewwww!!! But otherwise it was such a fun movie. I'm glad I rented it, and soon I should actually be buying it.
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Post by jonathanmuddlemore on May 15, 2020 22:37:01 GMT -5
I loved SCOOB! It's not as good as Zombie Island, Frankencreepy, and Mystery Begins but it has a lot of heart and the cringey humor wasn't as bad as the much beloved Gunn films. Especially recommend if you're a fan of Wacky Races and its various spinoffs.
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Post by Matt_the_miner_49er on May 16, 2020 7:50:04 GMT -5
I thought this was great, best done movie in a while. I wish I had gotten to go to theaters to see it (our local theater is awesome).
I think we finally found a balance in the characters- no jealousy between Daphne and Fred, no overbearing Velma, etc. The only thing I can say is that I don't care for the Shaggy voice. And I've always liked Mutley, ever since seeing him in Yogi and the Spruce Goose as Mumbly. In my opinion, this is a great example of what happens when film makers stop living in the past and think originally, leave out personal agendas, and just have fun with it. We ended up with something fresh and unique and some great animation. After Scooby becoming so hit and miss and mundane for me, I'm thankful for this.
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Post by ruben MG on May 16, 2020 11:24:34 GMT -5
I didn't like it at all 😕. It didn't feel like a scooby doo movie. superheroes against a villain. something very repetitive in movies of that style today, nothing new for scooby, nothing innovative, and it doesn't do it justice either.I did not recognize the characters.only some things were nice but nothing that saves the film. They sold it to us as origin story and it has everything but that. Fred, Daphne and Velma were removed from the film with a very crappy and unnecessary fight (you could see the lack of quality of the script when separating them and also it was not done well) but they wanted to get rid of Fred Daphne and Velma from the film for their place was to put a blue falcon that was irritating instead of making them great and letting us know their personality deeply. also that fred was very silly he is not like that. and I was hoping to see the caveman more. I liked all the tributes but they feel empty when the film has nothing else that I like.
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Post by shaggyfan86 on May 16, 2020 11:53:50 GMT -5
I loved the film, it shows Shaggy and Scooby's friendship is one of the best aspects of this series no matter what reboot. I loved how Shaggy evolved through the film and basically saved the day and got credit for it. You get used to it over time. I adored Daph's character and found Velma likeable for once, these past films haven't done her character well. Fred was ok, his obsession with the mystery machine has become just sad, even in the current direct to DVD films he is obsessed with it, that's a character trait they are sticking with eh? Animation was pretty good, little confused why the started out with that really old California song. Over all one of my favorites, now onto the next Scooby film, I hope both up coming Scooby films have been finished or else it will be a while till released  |
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Post by jonathanmuddlemore on May 16, 2020 11:58:53 GMT -5
Animation was pretty good, little confused why the started out with that really old California song. 1995 is "really old" now? |
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Post by elemage on May 16, 2020 15:03:54 GMT -5
Well. Just as I suspected. TRASH. All of my concerns ended up being real, all of the stuff that disappointed me pre-release was only magnified in the movie, and once again the franchise forgets that it's about more than just Shaggy and Scooby. YAWN.
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Post by barneynedward on May 16, 2020 19:11:00 GMT -5
Well. Just as I suspected. TRASH. All of my concerns ended up being real, all of the stuff that disappointed me pre-release was only magnified in the movie, and once again the franchise forgets that it's about more than just Shaggy and Scooby. YAWN. The franchise forgot it was supposed to be about more than just Shaggy and Scooby All the way back in 1969. Even in the earliest episodes Fred, Daphne and Velma were treated like afterthoughts Who existed simply to give The otherwise slapstick comedy franchise the illusion of being a mystery series. |
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Post by jonathanmuddlemore on May 16, 2020 19:33:11 GMT -5
Well. Just as I suspected. TRASH. All of my concerns ended up being real, all of the stuff that disappointed me pre-release was only magnified in the movie, and once again the franchise forgets that it's about more than just Shaggy and Scooby. YAWN. The franchise forgot it was supposed to be about more than just Shaggy and Scooby All the way back in 1969. Even in the earliest episodes Fred, Daphne and Velma were treated like afterthoughts Who existed simply to give The otherwise slapstick comedy franchise the illusion of being a mystery series. This actually stared around The Scooby-Doo Show. Velma was given plenty of screen time in WAY. Joe and Ken have admitted in one interview that they didn't like writing for Fred and Daphne. |
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Post by wileyk209 on May 16, 2020 21:23:32 GMT -5
This actually stared around The Scooby-Doo Show. Velma was given plenty of screen time in WAY. Joe and Ken have admitted in one interview that they didn't like writing for Fred and Daphne. That's right. Back then, the writing staff wasn't too keep on Fred and Daphne, as they thought those were fairly dull characters compared to Scooby, Shaggy and Velma. And then you have "What's New Scooby-Doo", which seemed to mostly focus on Fred, Daphne and Velma (with the exception of the "Camp Comeoniwannascareya" episode that just had Shaggy and Scooby.) |
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Post by jonathanmuddlemore on May 17, 2020 8:34:45 GMT -5
This actually stared around The Scooby-Doo Show. Velma was given plenty of screen time in WAY. Joe and Ken have admitted in one interview that they didn't like writing for Fred and Daphne. That's right. Back then, the writing staff wasn't too keep on Fred and Daphne, as they thought those were fairly dull characters compared to Scooby, Shaggy and Velma. And then you have "What's New Scooby-Doo", which seemed to mostly focus on Fred, Daphne and Velma (with the exception of the "Camp Comeoniwannascareya" episode that just had Shaggy and Scooby.) I think Pup is where Fred and Daphne became just as important as Shaggy and Scooby. |
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Post by ShaphneLegacy27 on May 17, 2020 13:04:26 GMT -5
This is why I prefer just Scooby, Scrappy, Shaggy and Daphne. This group is easy to write with. You don't have to deal with any of the characters being pushed to the side or being out of character.
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