One of my guilty pleasures is 2002’s ‘Scooby Doo’. Sure it has some lame humor and gross out jokes and offensively obvious product placement, but at heart the first ‘Scooby Doo’ movie got it right. Right enough so, to create a sequel, ‘Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed’.

The new release carries a lot of the elements that made the first one fun. The terrifically involved sets, colorful costumes are back. And the righteous cast of Sarah Michell Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini that brought the animation to life the first time around are fun to watch each having their own signature moments. But this time the story people couldn’t resist the urge to ‘add more depth’ to the characters by making them a bunch of introspective depressed losers who eventually come around in the end.

Shaggy, Fred Thelma, Daphne and Scooby aren’t supposed to be a line up for a ‘Dr. Phil’ episode they’re suppose to be the meddling kids of Mystery Inc, who when they aren’t solving goofy crimes are off chasing a ham sandwich and some Scooby snacks.

And even though there’s some fun performances from folks like Alicia Silverstone plays a sleazy news reporter and Peter Boyle as a washed up super villain. The sequel never really gets into gear and you may find yourself nodding off in places as the plot meanders around. So much so I could swear I missed a scene or two where we should learn what Seth Green’s character’s connection to all the hoopla is.

Make this a rainy day rental on DVD and break out the Scooby Snacks when you can.

For Movie Magazine, this is Purple.

© 2004 - Purple - Air Date: 3/24/04