‘Scoob!’ Review

Let’s do ”one question quiz” about Scoob! to break the ice here: How many writers did it take to write it (prefer answers by those who have actually seen it and possibly wondered about it themselves)? Well, there are three credited for the script and two for the story. Does that answer shock you perhaps? After going through the motions with the movie, I certainly found myself shocked by that fact because you’d think with that many people someone would stop certain jokes and actions from happening. It’s quite honestly unbelievable how outdated and cookie-cutter it is, mainly because you smell in the air how bunch of Gen X writers sipped on some gin & tonic to write something equivalent of using AOL chat room language on TikTok.

I do bet on one thing though which is that anyone who watches it will feel very comfortable during the first 15 minute act. We start with Shaggy as an outcast kid who one day runs into a stray god, naming it Scooby-Doo. It’s genuinely heartfelt beginning which is all sorts of adorable for a family film. Then we take a small jump to Halloween time when Shaggy and Scooby-Doo run into what later will turn out to be rest of Mystery Inc.; Velma, Fred and Daphne. They solve their first mystery and you think ”Oh wow, this is cute. Hopefully they keep this tone.” That doesn’t unfortunately happen as the movie forgets its origin-story themed title and takes another jump to time when everyone is an adult. Several things happen at the same time and somehow because of them, the rest of this painfully loud film exists.

We might as well go with the most obvious fault first. Why on earth is Simon Cowell featured here? It’s a cameo/role which already dates your movie to mid-2000s but also is baffling because do the writers and director Tony Cervone think kids will even know who he is? His first scene also has actual impact for the story which is the sad part. Strike one. Humour overall is awful across the board as the jokes are pop culture references from 1998 which they try to soften with dabbing. Yes you read that right, strike two. One thing that the three writers do to modernize Scoob! is by bringing superhero characters to the mix, that however is done by turning the story into lazy, rip-off superhero fare. Strike three, pack your bags. With no mystery element and sidelining three out of five crew members to focus more on characters like Blue Falcon, Dick Dastardly, Dynomutt and Dee Dee Skyes, it’s safe to say that the writing is a disservice to Scooby-Doo characters and also a disservice for family entertainment in year 2020.

Smileys: Premise

Frowneys: Humour, screenplay, story

So how do ya do fellow kids?

1.5/5