Scooby-Doo 2 - Monsters Unleashed (Widescreen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Not Your Classic Scooby Doo
Review: (...)Being a huge fan of the cartoon, it kind of upsets me to give Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed a 2 star rating. Then again, it does deserve it.

This time around, the gang is caught up in yet another mystery. This time, some evil villain has found a way to turn some of the classic villain costumes into actual walking-talking ghosts. This happens when the mastermind behind the operation and the so-called Pterodactyl Ghost start stealing costumes from a new museum that opened in honor of the Mystery Inc. gang that displayed all of the costumes. The whole ordeal causes the public to get a sour taste for the crims solving capers with the help of a twisted newscaster (Alicia Silverstone). Meanwhile, the rest of the movie has the gang doing there usual thing, but also questioning themselves along the way with how they are failing to help the group.

Where this movie fails is the characters. Even in the first Scooby Doo film, they made the characters to be like the ones off of the cartoon "A Pup Named Scooby Doo." Somehow, the personalities from that show were better than the ones on the original classic, but I forgave them for the new adaptation so to speak. This time around, no way. It has taken the new stylized form of Mystery Inc. too far. Whether it's Fred's (Freddie Prinze Jr.) "everybody look at me I'm all about fame and no brains" character or Daphne's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) "i'm a kick-butt and still damsel in distress" kind of gal or the new Scooby Doo's "i'm about as dumb as you can get, and I give stupid one liners, and I am nowhere near what I was like on the cartoon" kind of dog. I just couldn't get used to it. Even Matthew Lillard's Shaggy was lacking something this go around. I think they got the message last time that he was the best to stay true to the performance, so, this time, they tried to do way too much with him. Then there is Linda Cardellini's Velma, which isn't too bad in either film. Congrats.

On the bright side, it was nice to see some of the classic villains return, even if some of them didn't even look like they did in the cartoon, I will let it slide. For instance, the Miner 49er is now a little fat guy that you can see his teeth and, somehow, along the way, gained the ability to shoot fire. Where in the cartoon, he was actually a tall, lanky kind of guy that didn't do anything except moan. Oh wait, maybe they gave him his new abilities cause they used the Zombie...who knows? One that I did like was the 10,000 Volt Ghost. I don't think they could've made him any better. It is really neat to see on the screen.

Yet, it's not enough to save the movie. The film, like most, has joined the "Sequels not as good as the first club." Yes, there are a couple of good one liners, and there are again some double inuendos that will go over the children's heads. It just doesn't have the type of magic like the cartoon. Maybe I am just too old school for this new age Scooby Doo, but jinkies just doesn't have the same ring too it.

Rating:
Summary: So Much Better Then The First!
Review: As big of a fan as i was for the first one, i was excited to see this one. This one is so much better because it revisits some of the classic monsters from several of the shows. Such as the Pterodactyl Ghost, 10,000 Volt Ghost, Miner 49er, and the list goes on and on. If you were a fan of the first and even if you weren't give this one a try, it is definately one of the better sequels out there.

Rating:
Summary: Better Than the First
Review: Scooby-Doo still looks fake but if you look past that the movie isn't to bad.The movie has the original cast excluding Rowan Atkinson with Freddie Prinze Jr as Fred,Sarah Michelle Gellar as
Daphne,Linda Cardellini as Velma,and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy.
There are also some new characters including a museum curator who has a crush on Velma played by Seth Green.Also a mean news reporter played by Alicia Silverstone.The movie has the gang investigating a villian stealing all the costumes of the ghosts they've caught in the past and turning them into real monsters
and a subplot involving Shaggy and Scooby learning they really have no contribution to the gang and trying to solve the mysteries by themselves.Lillard again seems to be channeling Casey Kasem who did the original voice.The only bad thing about the movie was little kids in the theatre repeating every single thing that was said in the previews and in the film itself.Scooby-Doo fans should be pleased with this one.B- for the movie.Enjoy!!!

Rating:
Summary: Can Scooby-Doo rebound?
Review: Since I was a kid, I loved the 1970's "Scooby-Doo" animated series. Every entertaining episode had Fred, Daphne, Velma, and funny duo Shaggy and Scooby-Doo unmasking a villian. I loved that series.

As for the "Scooby-Doo" film, I was hugely dissapointed and mad. Where were the lovable characters I cherished? Aside from a enjoyable performance from Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, every cast member was either miscast or was a dead pan. Freddie Prinze, Jr. was terrible as Fred. Part of the reason he was cast was because his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar(Daphne) told the producers to cast him or she'll leave the role. The producers made a mistake. At least my family enjoyed it.

As for the computer animated Scooby-Doo, he was lukewarm at best. I just love the cartoon version dog who munched on scooby snacks.

Ok, so there's SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED. Hopefully something good will come out this blated and unexcusable sequel(and that's just made up). Wow, Seth Green is in this picture! I wait in line for the movie right now! (I was being sarcastic by the way.)

Rating:
Summary: Worth its weight in Scooby Snacks
Review: The Mystery Machine gang returns in Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. I didn't see the first movie, so there will be no comparing of the two here.

The movie stars Sarah Michelle GellAR as Daphne, Freddy Prinze Jr. as Fred, Linda Cardellini as Velma, and Matthew Lillard who is excellent as Shaggy.

We join the gang at a museum opening featuring the costumes of previous bad guys that they captured. A dark villian crashes the party with the help of a pterodactyl and steals the costumes. His plan is to reanimate them and take over the town of Coolsville.

Shaggy and Scooby are feeling like major screw-ups because they let the villians escape one too many times. So, they try their hardest to be like their friends.

Seth Green plays the curator of the museum and the love interest of Velma, squashing all old school beliefs that Velma was ever a lesbian. Peppermint Patty and Marcy, yes... Velma, no. :)

Peter Boyle plays one of the previous villians that the gang had captured. Could HE be out for vengeance?

The reason I don't give this movie 5 stars is because of the apathetic acting of Alicia Silverstone as a gung-ho investigative reporter.

Thumbs up/props/kudos to the set direction team for some amazing sets and the visual effects crew for making the movie more enjoyable without getting too violent. About the only violent scene is when Daphne is in a medeival weapon duel with the Black Knight Ghost. It's your basic Buffy fight scene with quite a bit less gore.

The movie is a bit thick with the "be yourself" message but it's stomachable (yeah, I know, not a real word).

There's a cameo appearance at the end of the movie by 'Shining Star' Ruben Studdard.

Movie warnings: Monster barfing, canine cross-dressing, and Scooby and latex farting. No profanity to worry about.

For the adults, it may get a little too silly at times. But, hey, this is Scooby Doo not Marlon Brando.

It's a great movie for the whole family and worth the day and evening ticket prices.

Question to think about from the movie: Scooby and Shaggy versus a Cotton Candy Monster.. who do YOU think would win? ;)

Rating:
Summary: scooby-doo 2:monsters unleashed-the best movie of all time!!
Review: this movie is the best movie of all time.it's way better than the first one.sarah michelle gellar is the best actor in the film.freddie prinze jr.,matthew lillard,and linda cardellini were great as fred,shaggy,and velma.the people who made scooby(r&h)did a way better job than they did in the first.sarah m.gellar(s.m.g.)was the best actor though,she portrayed the role of daphne.alicia silverstone was faboulous,even though her character was the bad person,and she turned out to be a man in a mask.the film has a very good plot.all the monsters from the past come back because of shaggy & scooby-doo.so they have to make everything better again in coolsville.daphne,fred,& velma help them out a lot.this movie is the best i've ever seen.whenever this movie came out in theaters,the first few weekends it was out it was # 1 at the box office.but then that dang "hellboy" movie came out and knocked it down to # 2.at the end of may,scooby-doo 2 was down at #10,the lowest you can go.the movie did very well though.i saw it the day it came out.whenever it comes out to buy(september 14,2004)i'll buy it.this movie is fantastic.it should win an award.i am scooby's #1 fan & s.m.g.'s # 1 fan.well,GOODBYE!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: This time around, more Scooby and less Doo
Review: When the first Scooby-Doo came out, it was pleasant enough, but the film was hobbled under both the usual gross-out "humor" needed to attract the twentysomething crowd and the constant legends that have plagued the original series (Fred and Daphne always make out when the gang splits up, Velma's a lesbian, Scoooby and Shaggy are potheads, etc.). In this new outing, the screenwriters eschew this nonsense for a plotline that delves into the Scooby mythos, creating a situation that is classic Scooby-Doo: Mystery, Inc.'s hometown of Coolsville is threatened by an evil masked madman who steals the costumes of the classic monsters that MI have exposed as fakes from a recent museum exhibit, and used them to create REAL versions of same.

All the original cast has returned, and everyone shines in stellar performances, bringing their characters to life. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. make dynamic improvements in their roles as Daphne and Fred; Gellar brings a sweetness and kindliness to Daphne that she wasn't able to with Buffy, and Prinze gives Fred a sense of depth, humor and leadership.

(...)

Matthew Lillard returns with another explosive performance as Shaggy, channeling this character from somewhere deep within his psyche. Lillard has developed a reputation for intense performances (witness 13 Ghosts or SLC Punk), but with his portrayal of Shaggy, those performances are not so much eclipsed as erased. Eyes bugging, howling, screaming, limbs flailing, with the trademark cry of "[GHOST]!!!", at once terrified and RESIGNED TO the inevitable chase, Lillard nails Shaggy again and again throughout the film.

The CGI Scooby, voiced deftly by Neil Fanning, seems much improved, and this time it's a proper mix of cartoon and real canine that displays the lovability and goofiness of Scooby Doo. Much, much better.

The supporting cast includes a sympathetic Peter Boyle as former villain Old Man Wickles, and a devious Alicia Silverstone redeems her genre-film rep from the horror that was Batman And Robin as a two-faced TV reporter who seems to be out to deface the gang's track record. All in all, this second effort is well-made and worth the time spent. Four stars all round.

Rating:
Summary: Scooby Two: Unleashed
Review: With the success of the inevitable success of the first Scooby-Doo, it was predictable a sequel would follow. Unpredictably, however, the sequel is better than the original! The film begins with the gang attending the opening of a museum featuring the costumes of Mystery Inc.'s old enemies. The opening is soon shattered when one of the costumes comes to life and begins destroying the exhibit. To add to the ruination of the museum opening, the Gang's reputation soon begins spiraling downwards. It's up to frustrated Fed, doubtful Daphne, love-filled Velma and disheartened Shaggy and Scooby to save the day - and Mystery Inc.! I myself had seen low ratings for the film, and therefor hadn't much interest in seeing it. The family went, though, and so did I. As the film began, I was expecting a film pretty much like the first, possibly slightly worse. As it turns out, Scooby-Doo 2 is the opposite of that. The part of the film I enjoyed the most was Matthew Lillard's performance as Shaggy (he also stold my attention in the original movie). Lillard is perfect and frequently funny. The animated Scooby-Doo is particularly enjoyable as well; bite me if you will, but I found the "Conclusion: Bunny" sequence pretty funny. The rest of the cast is fine, although SD2 is probably not the highest point in their careers. I found Sarah Michelle Gellar's rendition of Daphne boring - and I'm a SMG fan! The humor was pretty low, and generally unfunny, although the film does have its moments. The direction is fine, and the special effects are pleasing. The creatures will be enjoyed by the younger audience. Speaking of younger audience, SD2 is clearly aimed at a younger age range than the first film. The soundtrack was fine, and David Newman's score was very nice. It created a mysterious and kookily fun mood for the film. Is Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed better than the original film? In some ways, yes. It has more entertainment value, that's for sure. Will kids like it? Yes, they'll definitely like more than the first. But will you like it? That's something only you can answer.