Movie Review: Scooby Doo (2002)

The movie stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini,Isla Fisher and Freddie Prinze, Jr.

My wife had to work last night and, as we usually do, my oldest daughter and I had a movie night. I wasn't really in the mood for a classic monster movie so, after some consideration, we ended up watching this film again instead.

Even after seeing this movie several times, I still find it as entertaining as the first time I watched it. This is because there are quite a few things about it that just work.

First, I love how the movie manages to pay homage to the cartoon both with over-the-top personalities and great costumes while, at the same time, subtly making things a bit more adult. This is especially true of Shaggy (Lillard) and the subtle hints he does drugs.

Also, while I did originally have some doubts about a computer-generated Scooby Doo (voiced by Neil Fanning), it does work and, after a few minutes, it's easy to forget he isn't a real dog.

Another thing I like about this movie is the mystery. Even though it's pretty obvious from the start the monsters they are facing are real and there is something mystical/supernatural happening on the island, the culprit behind the monsters isn't too easy to figure out (though there are plenty of clues) and there's still quite a bit of mystery about the bad guy's motives.

There are some parts of this movie that do cross some lines and make it a little too crude for a family film, including a completely random scene with Scooby and Shaggy having a farting competition and Fred (Prinze) bragging about how he could look at himself naked after being temporarily turned into Daphne (Gellar). Fortunately, those are kept at a minimum and don't completely ruin the rest of the film.

There are some scenes that probably could have been deleted. But, overall, this is a fun film to watch and I enjoy it every time I see it.

My Grade: A