Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)

Where is the real Scooby Doo?, 24 March 2006

I realize that Scooby Doo 2 is basically a kids' movie. I realize that I am long past the target audience's age. And, I realize that it's a sequel to a movie I didn't care for. However, I grew up a fan of the original Scooby Doo cartoon. I was 6 years-old when the cartoon originally aired and I have fond memories of those Saturday mornings. The people responsible for making these movies have taken most of what made that show good and thrown it out the window. The ghosts and monsters weren't real. There was always a rational explanation behind everything that went on. Part of the fun was trying to wrap my 6 year-old brain around how the bad guys were doing their evil deeds. But a movie based in anything approaching reality wouldn't work as a big, over-bloated, CGI mess like Scooby Doo 2. It's unreal, it's loud, and it leaves nothing to the imagination. The film consistently makes fun of itself in that I'm-smarter-than-you, self-referential way that I find so annoying. It's a shame to me that young kids today will not grow-up understanding the charm of the original Scooby Doo.

3/10