A live-action version of the classic Hanna-Barbera ghost-chasing cartoon, with Gellar, Prinze Jr, Linda Cardellini and Matthew Lillard as teenagers Daphne, Fred, Velma and Shaggy (Scooby-Doo is a CGI creation, voiced by stuntman Neil Fanning). The gang of monster hunters have split acrimoniously, but are reunited when they are all individually invited on a trip to Spooky Island, a resort run by Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson) where, of course, spooky things are happening, and the mystery is just waiting to be solved.
As in the original cartoons, the funniest moments come whenever Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are on screen (although there are some laughs to be had from Freddie Prinze Jr’s awful blond wig) and the high jinks do slow down when they’re not around. But with the film-makers staying close to the heart of the original series (even the cartoon costumes are copied nicely), it’s not as bad as it could have been, and is certainly laugh-out-loud silly (especially for younger viewers) in places.
Is Scooby-Doo suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
The scene in which Daphne is captured by one of the bad guys may scare younger viewers.
The castle is quite creepy but thereis nothing here that should bother the over-8s.
If you like this, why not try: Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Garfield, Men In Black, Ghostbusters, The Flintstones,