Scooby-Doo

SCOOBY-DOO (PG)

D: Raja Gosnell

Warner Bros./Mosaic Media (Charles Roven & Richard Suckle)

US 2002

86 mins

Mystery/Comedy

W: James Gunn [based on the characters created by William Hanna & Joseph Barbera]

DP: David Eggby

Ed: Kent Beyda

Mus: David Newman

Matthew Lillard (Shaggy Rogers), Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Fred Jones), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne Blake), Linda Cardellini (Velma Dinkley), Rowan Atkinson (Emile Mondavarious), Isla Fisher (Mary Jane), Miguel Nunez, Jr. (Voodoo Maestroh

Live action version of the classic cartoon series of the 1960's, reuniting the members of a crime-fighting gang who pool their wits to uncover who is responsible for brain-washing visitors at a tourist attraction called Spooky Island.

The film doesn't really do justice to the long-running series, mostly due to miscast performances, a poor choice of director, a lazily-written script and ridiculously below average visual effects.

For young kids (mostly those too young to remember the original source) it's reasonably enjoyable, but no-one else is likely to be impressed. An (even more) inferior sequel followed a few years later.

4/10