AGW Entertainment reporter Lynn B. saw a new comedy adventure film. Here are her thoughts on....

SCOOBY DOO

Warner Brothers Pictures

Zoinks! Austin Powers as Shaggy?? Originally Mike Meyers expressed interest in playing the fumbling hippy cartoon detective with Scooby the talking pooch but Scream and 13 Ghosts' Matt Lillard is so completely Shaggy that it's hard to picture anyone else in the role.

After unmasking The Luna Ghost, yet another evil dude in a costume, the members of Mystery Inc. Velma (Linda Cardellini), Fred, (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Shaggy (Matt Lillard) and Scooby Doo (Scooby Doo), let their egos collide and decide to call quits to crimebusting. Fred goes on to write books about himself, Velma becomes a NASA rocket scientist, Daphne learns martial arts and Scoob and Shaggy still hang out in the Mystery van and sell pottery. Two years later, all are invited by Amusement Park king Mondavarius (Rowan Atkinson) to the spring break Mecca Spooky Island to discover why and how visiting teens are being turned into superpower zombies.

This is one case that does involve the actual supernatural…with a twist. Shaggy falls for tourist Mary Jane and Scoob feels left out. There's an argument about lack of trust and the pooch wanders off to be captured by the bad guys who want him for his innocent soul. Velma and Fred are turned into ghostly floating heads and Daphne does serious Kung Fu on the bad guys and demons until the true villain is unmasked and friendships are repaired. Daphne and Fred share a smooch and even Velma gets a fella.

As cute as this film is, I kept getting a "been there, seen that" feeling throughout. Maybe it's because the picture is "Ghostbusters on Survivor Island meet The Body Snatchers". Also nearly every cartoon show involving crime solvers has at least one famous episode in which somebody is turned into a mindless or superpower zombie. Spy Kids used the storyline recently as well. Granted, a familiarity with the cartoon series was needed to please fans but why not put the characters in a newer and fresher story? There is a cute plot twist that works quite well but it's a long time coming.

The cartoon look of the film is great. The primary colors pop out in sets and wardrobe (although one baddie looks just like that Kali-loving guy threatening Harrison Ford in The Temple of Doom). The actors give it an earnest try, especially Lillard who totally embodies the Shagster. Music works, the computer -generated Scooby is a little weird but lovable and CGI demons etc. are appropriately frightening (maybe too much so for really tiny audience members). An effort was successfully made to flesh out one-dimensional characters. Velma looks hot for a minute and gets a guy, Shaggy falls in love and fights with Scoob, Daphne sheds her damsel in distress mantle and kicks it with martial arts and Fred, ever the egotist, finally doesn't take credit for solving the crime. The film's simple motto "Friends Don't Quit' is universal and admirable but, in a effort to please hard core Scooby fans, the filmmakers have missed a chance to take the cartoon franchise to another level.

Only ardent Scooby fans or very young ticket buyers will feel that they are seeing anything except an expanded cartoon come to life here. But hey, maybe that's what was intended. If you and your buds love Scooby Doo and a cartoonish adventure is okay with you then you'll have a great time.

Rated PG
Official Website: www.scoobydoo.com