For the most part I think Scooby Doo is one of those cartoons that can actually translate well into live action, sure perhaps not every adaptation has been great but when done right it has really showed that it clicks. I’m surprised we haven’t really seen more adaptations, we got two theatrical films but could not get a third one and two TV movies for Cartoon Network, so 4 movies in 8 years, not bad at all. I’m lumping these 4 together since they are sort of in continuity with each other. While not officially linked, there’s no real contradictions and they work well enough together.
scooby doo 2002
I remember watching the teaser trailer thinking it’d be a Batman movie and getting trolled, it was fun. When I saw the movie on TV I had no expectations and in fact thought it’d be a generic to bad movie but I was pleasently surprised and enjoyed it. I remember people hating it but it seemed to click with younger people and now people finally get James Gunn’s movies now that he’s popular so things have changed. I’d love to see more of the deleted scenes of what was originally a Rated R cut, perhaps one day. Watching it again the humor is just there, it’s adult but also kid friendly, it’s a nice mix, I do think it could’ve afforded to be a bit more risque but studio interfered, but as it is the current PG cut is still good and no I didn’t want an adult only boring parody, it needed to be a good mix and this seemed to be it.
The Lunar Ghost is a great Live Action interpertation of what a classic monster would be. The CG is suprisingly still good as are the effects. It does feel like a movie of its time, so 2000s, Sugar Ray, Pamela Anderson and the style overall. It really is as close to a perfect live action Scooby Doo movie could ever get. The story is a good way to explore the characters and give us some great character moments. Shaggy is amazing as we know Mathew Lillard seemed to be born to play him, the rest of the cast do a good job as well with Freddy likely being the weakest. The monster swapping necroplasm worked well enough. I also loved the Scrappy Doo twist, not many adaptations handle the evil Scrappy Doo well and her he was done in a way th at worked.
Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed
I took my at the time girlfriend to see this movie since I thought it’d be like the original, little did I know it was tonally a different movie made only for kids, I was left embarrased after it ended. At the time many people said it was the superior movie because it felt more like the cartoon and I disagree on both instances. It treats the Scooby Doo gang as famous heroes and we see a museum which is full of references mostly from the first few shows. It’s pretty cool to se live ation costumes of the classic monsters. However unlike the first movie it doesn’t play with the tropes and instead just follows them. This makes a less intersting movie overall.
There is at least somewhat of a mystery ehre but it did need something else as it’s not a profound mystery. It needed something else and the watered down dialogue and humor did not help the movie at all. It’s a worse movie overall and even boring. It does have some neat ideas here and there but it needed something mroe. It’s too cartoony and the ending is just kinda there. It failed at the box office and that was it. I wonder what else James Gunn could’ve done with a less restricted movie more in tone with the first one. I also would’ve liked a third movie and heck people are now asking for it, I think the chances are low but I’d love to see it happen.
The Mysery Begins
We eventually got a new live action TV movie for Cartoon Network, I was pretty excited for it and this one was going to be an origin story. The casting seems ok but they do look like cosplay if you look for too long. Their acting is barely ok, not great and cartoony most of the time. CG Scooby on the other hand while not as detailed as the theatrical films looks really well for a TV budget, a bit more cartoony looking but it works for this take. Freddie is not blonde which bothers me but I guess it works in continuity since the films did mention he dyed his hair.. What I dislike is htis is a “monsters are real” story so we have actual ghosts and they don’t do great with that premise. The story is basic and is helped because it has plenty of things goig on, it’s an origin story, it has a mysery, it has some twists and turns. Scooby Doo is kidnapped so he won’t use all the CG budget.. Nothing amazing here but it’s not awful either. It works as a prequel to the movies and I did really like the opening of Where are you being recreated in live action.
Curse of the Lake Monster
We did get a sequel for that movie and we begin with a classic villain type recreation and then an unhinged summer fanservice party with Scooby Doo dancing wearing his hawaiian skirt. A summer lake gimmick setting in a town with a lake monster sounds Scooby Doo enough for me. There is a Shaggy Velma ship going on here but overall the movie just goes on without doing much and that’s not good since the actors are not good enough and neither is the writing. It needed more stuff to keep us distracted like the previous one. Some etype of gimmick to make it more interesting, instead it’s just a slower boring live action movie of what seems like an episode. There can be some fun humor here and there, Freddy wearing a blonde wig (foreshadowing!) It’s another movie that also deals with super natural creatures being real because of the moonstones. If you think about it this was done in every movie which only makes it less likely they’d be shocked when it continues to happen. The Velma twist is lame, the real villain is lame.Velma kiss. Meh overall. Just a generic Scooby Doo movie only a Scooby Doo fan could enjoy. I do liek the ending paying homage to the classic monsters to a 60s 70s vibe. I wouldn’t have minded a third TV movie but don’t mind that it finished here.
Out of the 4 movies you can’t go wrong watching the original, it’s a classic movie. The rest are more for die hard Scooby fans and I’m sure each person will find the one they enjoy the most out of those differently than me. Hopefully we do get the unlikely third James Gunn Scooby Doo movie or more likely a PG13 cut of the original film, I think that movie could only improve.