The early 2000s were a strange time, when going to the movies still felt like an event and when Sacramento was just a little quieter. It was the era of chunky flip phones, CD soundtracks and bright colors. For the month of October, Movie Notes will be reviewing a spooky early 2000s gem: the live-action adaptation of the classic mystery cartoon “Scooby Doo.”
This movie brings back memories of after-school Toonami reruns and avalanches of Halloween candy on the carpet. For many students at Sacramento State today, that might as well be the Dark Ages; before TikTok, before Instagram, before Zyns!
The film features the Mystery Machine, a CGI talking dog, Spooky Island, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and Hollywood’s favorite power couple, Sarah Michelle Gellar (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Freddie Prinze Jr. (“She’s All That”), who met on the set of the original 1997 film, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
“Scooby-Doo” fits the mold for a spooky October film to watch while eating Halloween candy, but it’s not glued to the mantle of October-only films. With a script written by “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the new “Superman” director James Gunn, “Scooby Doo” was a PG take on a classic ’70s kids’ cartoon.
This movie was not very well received by critics at the time. But in the years since its release, it has become a cult classic for those who grew up with it. Upon viewing, the campiness and Y2K aesthetic of early 2000s Hollywood are reminiscent of the final days of the ‘90s aesthetic, which was still alive in films like “Empire Records” or “10 Things I Hate About You.”
These films blended sincere romance with cynical, self-aware irony and classic mystery tropes. They were the last stop of the rebellious authenticity of the ’90s before the fully plastic, CGI-driven weirdness of 2002 Hollywood emerged in films like “Scooby-Doo.”
Stylistically, touchstones of the ’90s in films were fresh, contemporary and self-aware attitudes presented in baggy denim, thrifted cardigans, fitted tank tops and frosted tips. But in “Scooby Doo,” the Y2K aesthetic is presented through a mashup of quirky cartoon realism; ‘70s-era, psychedelic cartoon characters are reinterpreted as famed college-aged adults in the early 2000s.
When Mystery Inc. breaks up, it’s not a spooky ghost or a ghastly ghoul that causes the gang to implode. But like every pop group past its prime, Mystery Inc. splits under the weight of fame, ego and the tiresome repetition of the role they each play.
The audience meets Shaggy, Scooby, Fred, Velma and Daphne as they solve the case of the Luna Ghost, where once again Fred takes the credit from Velma for solving the mystery with her natural intelligence. This boils over into Daphne’s frustration of being typecast as the ‘damsel in distress,’ while Shaggy and Scooby just want everyone to chill out.
In a pseudo-fourth wall break, the characters themselves are tired of the tropes that have defined them for nearly 35 years. Gunn’s script utilizes the new – at the time – Hollywood meta by having Mystery Inc. acknowledge their own roles in the cartoon.
But this meta-commentary may not have come off as wittingly as Gunn would have liked because Mystery Inc. reunites after two years when each member of the Scooby gang receives an invitation from a mysterious host, a narrative device popularized by Agatha Christie’s mystery novels.
Mystery Inc. arrives on the docks of Spooky Island, unsuspecting of the secrets that would begin unraveling around them. When real monsters and secret island prophecies start to take shape, it is apparent that this was not originally meant to be a children’s movie. The movie was originally intended for more mature audiences. With an “R” rating, the script contained many suggestive jokes, a queer relationship between Velma and Daphne, overt stoner jokes and darker horror elements. But after some poor test screenings, the studio stepped in, and what resulted from that script is a muddled middle ground that was cut down to a “PG” rating.
The late ‘90s heartthrob Prinze Jr. was a natural fit for Fred; he was already a major star in the young romance genre and after reprising his role in the 1997 sequel film “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” he starred in a slew of romantic comedies. “Down To You,” “Boys and Girls,” “Head Over Heels,” and “Summer Catch” all feature Prinze Jr. as either a New Yorker in college, a nerdy college student or a failed baseball player, making his portrayal of Fred a satirical take on his own acting.
Matthew Lillard fits perfectly as Shaggy, breaking into Hollywood with “Scream” in 1996 and acting alongside Prinze in “She’s All That” three years later in 1999. His slapstick eccentricity and physicality only helped him with portraying ‘the Shagster.’
Michelle-Gellar was one of the biggest stars of the ‘90s, with her titular role as “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” – arguably one of the greatest TV shows ever made – allowed her to play against expectations after six seasons as Buffy Summers.
In her role as Daphne, she is more than a caricature of the popular and fashionable damsel, but a three-dimensional character who embraces femininity while also kicking butt, literally. Her status as a horror icon is what brought attention to her role as Daphne, which is boasted as child’s play with films like “Scream 2” and “The Grudge” on her acting resume.
Acting alongside her real-life partner and future husband Prinze Jr., the couple created some buzz as Fred and Daphne for the tabloids at the time.
Linda Cardellini as Velma is also up there as an almost perfect casting choice. Being the brains of the operation and Mystery Incorporated’s emotional center, Cardelilini is faithful to the source material while adding a modern touch by portraying Velma’s assertion of self-worth as an essential member of the team.
Rowan Atkinson is an honorable mention as Spooky Island’s mysterious host, Emile Mondavarious. He carries that middle ground of strange yet funny, similar to his portrayal of the British “Mr. Bean,” of film and TV show notoriety.
The movie is saturated in vibrant shades of orange, pink, green and blue, where Hollywood’s youngest top prospects are bringing these classic cartoon characters to life. It’s a forgettable flick, but it carries a nostalgia worth revisiting for some.
“Sooby-Doo” is more light-hearted fun than anything and a decent choice to have on in the background while passing out Halloween candy. Let’s not forget though, “it was a talking dog.”
This film is absolutely absurd; its failed tonal balance, early CGI and censored adult humor make it an aesthetic clash which may not be digestible for some today. Yet almost anything with Prinze Jr. is entertaining, even if he is wearing a wig or getting punched in the face by a CGI great dane dressed as a grandma.
“Scooby-Doo” (2002) is an admirable effort to adapt a classic cartoon for the real-life big screen, but the mystery loses itself when CGI monsters come crashing through windows and members of Mystery Inc. swap bodies after losing their protoplasmic souls. Overall, it is worth experiencing once or twice with friends.
