The Streisand Effect at work! Thanks to freak-out conservative pundit culture war alarmists, I found out that this movie exists… and that Velma is totally gay! Finally the forty years of in-jokes have proven true. Regular Sherlock Holmses with the the pulse on the wrist of pop culture at work here. So, yup, rented it.

I dig Scooby Doo as a kid, in the live action movie(s), and as a cultural artifact, but I haven’t kept up with the no-doubt deep-seated lore. Mainly I know the classic villains I watched in reruns as a kid… which makes me the target of this meta nexus event of Scooby Doo history.

It seems that all the classic g-g-g-ghosts (like the Black Knight and the 10,000 Volt Ghost) were all costumes made by a single person: Coco Diablo. When the gang busts her, all the exciting mysteries dry up. But when the opportunity arises in the form of Nega versions of Mystery Inc, they are on the case.

What can you say? It’s pretty decent Scooby Doo adventure… with a little side of romance for Velma. It trades in a bunch of in-jokes and self-referential comedy along with all the usual Scooby gang schtick. It’s good enough – and pleasantly short enough – to be a decent bit of nostalcic fun.

It’s… good enough. And to think I’d have totally missed it if not for those meddling nattering nannies. Who knows… maybe the whole culture war was just the long game, intended to drive up rentals for a Scooby Doo reboot?

Score: 75