Movie Review: “Scoob!” doesn’t live up to the name that inspired it

MOVIE REVIEW: SCOOB! (PG)

“And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”

Few phrases gave me as much joy when I was a kid. That line, of course, comes from “Scooby-Doo,” an extremely popular animated series from those colorful goofballs, Hanna-Barbera, that was all the rage in the late 60s and 70s. Through the years, there have been many adaptations and spinoffs inspired by the spirited source material (my personal early day episode favorites would find Scooby, Shaggy and the gang teaming with the likes of Batman and Robin and the Harlem Globetrotters to solve cases), including a couple of less than stellar live-action films from the early 2000s starring Matthew Lillard as Shaggy.

It seemed like only a matter of time before we’d be subjected to yet another inferior take on the misadventures of the beloved pooch. This latest version is a feature-length animated origin story, aptly titled “Scoob!,” a title that Warner Brothers opted to send straight to VOD due to the recent COVID19 pandemic. In all honesty, that was probably a better move because had I seen this in a theater, I would have felt even more let down. True, it cost $20 to stream it at home, but at least that afforded the entire family an opportunity to watch it so in reality, the Mast family saved some money.

“Scoob!” opens in charming enough fashion as it gives us a glimpse into how a scavenger pup named Scooby-Doo and a young loner named Shaggy (voiced MacGruber himself, Will Forte) first met. It wouldn’t be long before this dynamic duo would cross paths with Velma, Daphne, and Fred and as a team, they’d ultimately travel from town to town in the Mystery Machine, solving cases often paranormal in nature. But in the early days, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as Scoob and Shaggy wouldn’t only find themselves butting heads with their fellow investigators but with each other as well. Yep. A few bumps in the road on the way to becoming the team of cherished sleuths we’d eventually come to know and love.

It’s a shame that “Scoob!” as a film didn’t just focus solely on the mischievous canine and his very early days with Shaggy because the first 10 minutes of this picture is the most endearing part. It’s easy to see why these two became fast friends even if Scoob’s knack for finding trouble would tend to cause a little friction. Instead of going the bromance route, however, “Scoob!” not only brings in the rest of the gang too early but then it goes into somewhat off-putting sci-fi-tinged superhero terrain. Call me crazy, but when it comes to Scoob and the gang, I guess I just prefer mysteries involving ghosts and ghouls. What’s more, “Scoob!” also can’t resist resorting to a tired shared universe gimmick by throwing Hanna-Barbera legacy characters like Dirk Dastardly, Muttley, and Captain Caveman into the mix. Worse still, some of these characters are given very little to do.

Adding insult to injury, the CG animation looks a bit cheap and uninspired while much of the humor here is stale and often misses more than it hits (Simon Cowell gags? Really?!) Thankfully, though, a moderately energetic cast is able to liven the proceedings a bit. When I read that Forte was going to voice Shaggy, I didn’t see it but truth-be-told, he pulls it off. He’s no Casey Kasem, mind you, but he does manage to channel the spirit of this eccentric and lovable character. Likewise, while the superhero subplot didn’t do much for me, Mark Wahlberg and Ken Jeong bring an appropriately goofy and offbeat vibe to Blue Falcon and Dynomutt while a villainous Jason Isaacs has dastardly fun as the film’s heavy. Rounding out the vocal cast are the likes of Zac Efron (Fred), Gina Rodriguez (Velma), Amanda Seyfried (Daphne), and Tracy Morgan (Captain Caveman.)

In the end, it gives me no pleasure in saying that “Scoob!” is fairly forgettable as a whole.  The film’s overall messages of not turning your back on your friends and teamwork being a key to success are fine, but the journey wasn’t as colorful as I hoped it would be. I suppose it should be noted that my kids greatly enjoyed it but if you’re looking for the honest opinion of someone who grew up on the original mysteries that inspired this movie’s existence,  let me just say that “Scooby-Doo” is a wonderful product of its time and probably should have stayed as such.

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