Scoob!

This review may contain spoilers!

While this certainly has Scooby-Doo in it, this film lacks a lot of the qualities that make for a good Scooby-Doo feature. I would give Scoob! a 5.5/10.

Scoob! is the most recent animated adventure for Scooby-Doo and the gang; in this action-packed adventure Shaggy and Scooby team up with the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt to stop Dick Dastardly from unleashing the ghost dog, Cerberus, upon the world. At the heart of this movie is a really nice examination of the bond between Shaggy and Scooby, how their friendship came to be and the bond they share now as a mystery-solving duo. The bond of loyalty and friendship between man and his dog is really lovingly handled throughout this feature; with Dick going to great lengths to open the underworld in order to save his dog Muttley and Shaggy sacrificing himself so that Scooby could live. I felt the emphasis placed on these relationships is what really lent this feature heart in scenes where it really counted. I enjoyed seeing some nostalgic references to classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons visually and the classic sound effects blended into the film was a creative stylistic touch.

Mark Wahlberg, who voiced Blue Falcon, was this larger than life charismatic superhero role who really wowed when he appeared onscreen; Wahlberg got to play a new hero who was still learning how to fill his predecessors shoes. Gina Rodriguez, who played Velma Dinkley, gives a very fresh take on this classic role; not only is Velma the smartest person in the group but she quickly establishes herself as more of an entertaining leader figure. Amanda Seyfried, who voiced Daphne Blake, is a really kind and compassionate role who forms strong bonds with other characters; Seyfried finds a strong positive side in Daphne making her role the heart of Mystery Inc. Ken Jeong, who voiced Dynomutt, gets to play to a more serious figure with this seasoned professional crimefighter canine; Jeong plays his character as highly skeptical of his new superhero partner (Wahlberg) and has to steadily come to accept the new hero into the fold. Frank Welker, who voiced Scooby-Doo, does a good job hitting all the notes of the title character; this film certainly throws more dialogue than Scooby would normally deliver but Welker still manages to find a way to present Scoob in a convincing and likeable manner. Iain Armitage, Mckenna Grace, Pierce Gagnon and Ariana Greenblatt, who voiced Young Shaggy, Young Daphne, Young Fred and Young Velma respectively, are a showcase of some of the best young talent in Hollywood right now; each of these young performers came together as a more recognisable Mystery Inc. than what the main story managed.

However, the best performance came from Jason Isaacs, who voiced Dick Dastardly. As far as main animated villains go Dick is supposed to be a classic mastermind caricature and you really feel like Isaacs had some fun playing to that. Everything that went into this role was unerringly sinister, he would lean into a darker tone and dealt some menacing lines throughout. I really enjoyed seeing how manipulative this character got, trying to trick the main characters and using a variety of disguises to achieve his schemes. This was a very grandiose villain with an inflated ego to boot, Isaacs played up the arrogance and self-confidence with Dastardly constantly which was a lot of fun to watch. The best thing about this performance that made it so fresh was that he had this dark exterior but was constantly playing to the subtext that he loved and missed his lost dog, Muttley; literally doing whatever it took to get him back.

The biggest thing that let this film down was just how busy it was, the fact that there were so many characters from the Hanna-Barbera era was great from a reference standpoint but terrible as a film. Suddenly what seemed like a simple Scooby-Doo movie became extremely busy with characters we didn't really know and weren't really being given enough information about. It didn't feel like the creators had enough confidence in the Mystery Inc. gang to hold down their own story, instead banking on a whole host of characters to push this bigger Scooby world. Really this film felt like a soft pitch to audiences, practically begging for the beginnings of a shared universe without ever really doing the leg work to earn it. The entire Cerberus story feels like it should be significant but this big event at the end of the film is pretty lacklustre when it starts unfolding, the softer character moments in the background landing more of an impact than the main plot itself. The animation for Scoob! really looks like some of Warner Animation's worst work yet in recent years, the level of background detail is seriously poor and the character models don't have much visual appeal. The soundtrack for this film doesn't really seem to be very connected, instead offering a bizarre mix of pop and hip hop that seems about as far removed from a Scooby-Doo film as you could get.

Will Forte, who voiced Shaggy Rogers, is one of the two leading performers for this feature and never manages to capture his character; Forte just doesn't the presence to lead the film and his wilting impression of Shaggy lets down the subplot around Shaggy and and Scooby's friendship. Zac Efron, who voiced Fred Jones, embodies all of the stupidity Fred can emanate and none of the leadership or charm; Efron's Fred feels like the character has been knocked out of him for the purpose of a few okay punchlines. Kiersey Clemons, who voiced Dee Dee Skyes, is the generic font for exposition in this feature; Clemons would pause the film to impart a heavy flow of explanation before resting in the background once more. Tracy Morgan, who voiced Captain Caveman, never really justifies his character being in this film either as a role or comedically; in this Captain Caveman blunders through quips in a setting that seems roughly forced into the story for the sake of his cameo. Simon Cowell, who played himself, gives a really disappointing cameo; as the surprise investor in this film Cowell's presence fails to further the plot, provide any laughs or deliver any shock value.