Review: Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
April 13, 2004; AMC Fenway #2
* * * 1/4 (out of four)
Now, before you close the window, never to grace the page of this half-wit again, hear me out. As you may have read in Jay's blog, this became one of those movies that... yeah, it's stupid, but it's still funny, and a lot funnier than some of the other shlock that gets released around here. Bottom line here is that I enjoyed myself in the movie, and I walked out of the theatre still laughing at a few key moments.
Monsters Unleashed picks up an undisclosed amount of time after the first Scooby Doo ended. Mystery Inc. has returned to Coolsville to oversee the opening of a museum exhibit in their honor, displaying the costumes of many of the ghost wannabes they've unmasked over the years. Here we meet the first great addition to the cast: Seth Green, playing the quiet, kinda nerdy curator of the museum, who also has a massive thing for Velma (Linda Cardellini). Soon after the unveilling of the exhibit, one of the costumes mysteriously comes to life, wreaking havoc on the visitors. As always, a masked mastermind makes his presence known, taunting the do-gooders with the ever-present stereotypic evil guy laugh. As Coolsville's faith in the fivesome's ability to protect the town fails, Scooby and Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) begin to doubt their ability to contribute anything to the team. They opt to set out on their own to solve this mystery, thus proving their eligabilty for membership in the agency. Naturally... this doesn't go well, and the plot then follows a line straight out of the cartoon. The secret? It's done pretty well.
To Scooby Doo's benefit are Matthew Lillard and the new members of the supporting cast. Lillard has, with this movie, successfully taken over the role of living cartoon character that Jim Carrey recently vacated with roles like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and this is something Lillard is well-suited for and must seriously enjoy doing. He is no less than perfect as Shaggy, in voice, body language, and overall personality. Also impressive, if not a bit odd, is that he seems to be at his best when acting opposite his CG best friend, Scooby (voiced by Neil Fanning), rather than any of the human costars. This may also be a result of that being where he gets the most screentime, but I don't know.
The supporting cast has taken jumps as well. I already mentioned Seth Green, who I had forgotten could be really, really funny - the Austin Powers movies don't give anyone outside of Mike Myers much of a chance to show what they can do, considering he played the three main characters in the last one. Also strong is Alicia Silverstone as the reporter with some secret vendetta against Mystery Inc., badmouthing them and twisting the words of leader Fred (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) whenever she gets a chance. Finally, Peter Boyle enters as Old Man Wickles, the crotchety old fart previously unmasked and discredited by Mystery Inc. In some places, these along with others in the undercast outclass the stars, particularly Prinze, Jr., who could disappear from the movie altogether, and I'm not sure I'd notice.
There are a few factors holding this movie back from where it could be. The running time is one. Clocking in at 88 minutes, including credits, a quick video game plug at the end, and a decently long opening titles sequence, this flew by. On one hand, I can't really see what else they might have done with it, but on the other, with the price of movie tickets nowadays, it gets harder and harder to justify that. Also, while Lillard and Cardellini are excellent and fully involved in their roles, Prinze and Sarah Michelle Gellar - Daphne - are less enthusiastic. Although Gellar had a little more to do than in the first - she was essentially playing Daphne as season 1 or 2 Buffy - Prinze just seems lost. Luckily, the director understands this, and significantly cuts down their screentime.
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is a funny movie. I swear. Yes, the premise is old - the Hannah-Barbera cartoon originally premiered in 1969 - but so long as there are still jokes to be told that are still funny, who can object? There are three or four genuinely hilarious moments that had me laughing pretty hard, and two that were noteworthy enough to have Jay and I quoting them for ten minutes after we walked out of the theatre. Character-wise, Lillard has settled in firmly as Shaggy, Cardellini is solid in Velma, and even Gellar's Daphne has improved since the first movie. With a third installment on the way, my only hope is that they find the material to give this movie at least another 20 minutes. And recast a carboard cutout as Fred. It might be a step up.
April 13, 2004; AMC Fenway #2
* * * 1/4 (out of four)
Now, before you close the window, never to grace the page of this half-wit again, hear me out. As you may have read in Jay's blog, this became one of those movies that... yeah, it's stupid, but it's still funny, and a lot funnier than some of the other shlock that gets released around here. Bottom line here is that I enjoyed myself in the movie, and I walked out of the theatre still laughing at a few key moments.
Monsters Unleashed picks up an undisclosed amount of time after the first Scooby Doo ended. Mystery Inc. has returned to Coolsville to oversee the opening of a museum exhibit in their honor, displaying the costumes of many of the ghost wannabes they've unmasked over the years. Here we meet the first great addition to the cast: Seth Green, playing the quiet, kinda nerdy curator of the museum, who also has a massive thing for Velma (Linda Cardellini). Soon after the unveilling of the exhibit, one of the costumes mysteriously comes to life, wreaking havoc on the visitors. As always, a masked mastermind makes his presence known, taunting the do-gooders with the ever-present stereotypic evil guy laugh. As Coolsville's faith in the fivesome's ability to protect the town fails, Scooby and Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) begin to doubt their ability to contribute anything to the team. They opt to set out on their own to solve this mystery, thus proving their eligabilty for membership in the agency. Naturally... this doesn't go well, and the plot then follows a line straight out of the cartoon. The secret? It's done pretty well.
To Scooby Doo's benefit are Matthew Lillard and the new members of the supporting cast. Lillard has, with this movie, successfully taken over the role of living cartoon character that Jim Carrey recently vacated with roles like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and this is something Lillard is well-suited for and must seriously enjoy doing. He is no less than perfect as Shaggy, in voice, body language, and overall personality. Also impressive, if not a bit odd, is that he seems to be at his best when acting opposite his CG best friend, Scooby (voiced by Neil Fanning), rather than any of the human costars. This may also be a result of that being where he gets the most screentime, but I don't know.
The supporting cast has taken jumps as well. I already mentioned Seth Green, who I had forgotten could be really, really funny - the Austin Powers movies don't give anyone outside of Mike Myers much of a chance to show what they can do, considering he played the three main characters in the last one. Also strong is Alicia Silverstone as the reporter with some secret vendetta against Mystery Inc., badmouthing them and twisting the words of leader Fred (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) whenever she gets a chance. Finally, Peter Boyle enters as Old Man Wickles, the crotchety old fart previously unmasked and discredited by Mystery Inc. In some places, these along with others in the undercast outclass the stars, particularly Prinze, Jr., who could disappear from the movie altogether, and I'm not sure I'd notice.
There are a few factors holding this movie back from where it could be. The running time is one. Clocking in at 88 minutes, including credits, a quick video game plug at the end, and a decently long opening titles sequence, this flew by. On one hand, I can't really see what else they might have done with it, but on the other, with the price of movie tickets nowadays, it gets harder and harder to justify that. Also, while Lillard and Cardellini are excellent and fully involved in their roles, Prinze and Sarah Michelle Gellar - Daphne - are less enthusiastic. Although Gellar had a little more to do than in the first - she was essentially playing Daphne as season 1 or 2 Buffy - Prinze just seems lost. Luckily, the director understands this, and significantly cuts down their screentime.
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is a funny movie. I swear. Yes, the premise is old - the Hannah-Barbera cartoon originally premiered in 1969 - but so long as there are still jokes to be told that are still funny, who can object? There are three or four genuinely hilarious moments that had me laughing pretty hard, and two that were noteworthy enough to have Jay and I quoting them for ten minutes after we walked out of the theatre. Character-wise, Lillard has settled in firmly as Shaggy, Cardellini is solid in Velma, and even Gellar's Daphne has improved since the first movie. With a third installment on the way, my only hope is that they find the material to give this movie at least another 20 minutes. And recast a carboard cutout as Fred. It might be a step up.
posted by Matt S. at
1:21 PM
