So Scoob! (with an exclamation point) is the big screen CGI adaptation of Scooby Doo and gang… released first to streaming since theaters are still closed.
Scoob suggests that its going to be an update to the Mystery Inc adventures. The kids are all grown up and are seeking investors to take their mystery club big time and the flick explores the dynamic of the leads and what they bring to the team. But ignore all that because the movie is really a cross-over story that brings in other Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters in what turns out to be a superhero story. No sooner than Scooby and Shaggy get abducted, they learn that classic (and largely unknown to anyone under a certain age) superhero Blue Falcon and Dynomutt need their help to stop the nefarious plans of Dick Dastardly and his gang or robotic minions (pop culture reference intentional… these are an attempt at Minions).
Which, ok fine. The Hanna-Barbera cartoons did cross-overs back in the day… Wacky Races and The Laff-A-Lympics come to mind. So this flick is at least on-brand. But I think they do a good enough job with the CGI models and voice actors that I’d have appreciated a more traditional Scooby Doo mystery and not this over-excited superhero remake that happens to star the Scooby Gang.
But, to be fair, since this is what we get, the movie isn’t terrible. It’s moderately entertaining with some fun self-referential zingers and way more Dick jokes that I expected (the villain being Dick Dastardly and all). It’s kind of overly hyper sometimes and certainly is designed to appeal to kids… though it’s funny it’s so stuffed with obscure Hanna-Barbera characters they won’t recognize. I think kids know Scooby Doo just fine… but maybe less so Blue Falcon, Dick Dastardly, etc. I recognize them… so nostalgia bomb successful, I suppose.
This film casts a bunch of big name talent (Zac Efron, Gina Rodriguez, Will Forte, Mark Whalberg, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Isaacs, and more) plus long-time voice over actor Frank Welker as Scooby Doo. I guess they all do a fine job but most of the voices were either bland or good enough to to the originals that I had no idea the talent at work. I guess that’s for the best for an animated flick.
So, yeah… this could have easily been a worse movie… and it could easily have been a better movie. Not being a superhero flick would have been a step in the right direction though. But it is what it is and it is pretty watchable. I think both kids and nostalgic adults over a certain age will get a little out of it each.
Score: 74