Fun, laughs, and visual delight

If you are looking for a fun film to see that you don't have to do a lot of thinking to enjoy, Scooby Doo is the flick for you.
I wanted to see something that would give me a good laugh and spare my brain after a long work week. I had watched the original cartoon as a kid in the 70's and 80's so I was very familiar with the characters and story formulas.

I will use the character's names rather than the actor's names in this review as you no doubt already know who the actors are from the much publicity this film has had the past few weeks. I must say that I had doubts about the casting, but I truly enjoyed the acting in this film. Sure, there were some cheezy bits, but the reason I don't want to pick apart the acting is due to the genre of this movie. It's not meant to be a critically acclaimed, award-winning feature. So, I wanted my review to be on the story and other fun highlights, rather than an acting critique. After all, it was originally a CARTOON for heaven's sake. :)

I did get a kick out of the animated Scooby Doo character. His quirks and funny "Rooby-Roo" remarks were a plus, in my book.

The film begins as 'Mystery Inc.' catches a crooked toy store maintenance man; Daphne is rescued from a flying ghost, and the crook is nabbed inadvertantly by a fleeing Shaggy and Scooby Doo. A grateful Pamela Anderson (really!) gushes over Fred who happily laps up the media attention and takes credit for solving the mystery.
Of course, it had been Velma who truly did all the brainwork. Understandably upset, Velma has had enough.
Later that evening, an argument ensues and *gasp* the team decides to go their separate ways. Shaggy and Scooby try to save the team, to no avail.

The story then picks up two years later as, unbeknownst to one another, the group is mysteriously brought together again by the reclusive owner of the "Spooky Island" spring-breaky amusement park for college kids. (More like Spooky Party Island!)
Something is happening at the park which makes the normally rowdy college students become zombie-like well behaved people. Something must be done about that, of course, so Mystery Inc. agrees to work together one more time to solve the mystery.

Hilarity ensues as our heroes search for clues whilst maneuvering among partying co-eds and dodging scary monsters.
Some of the humor was very clever, while some of it was quite juvenile. Either way, it didn't fail to surprise me at each turn, unlike the cartoon series.

One element I particularly got a kick out of was the subtle ways that the details of the cartoon were brought into the film. Some of the camera angles, verbal expressions, and various gestures made by the characters were RIGHT ON. Also, some of the classic Scooby-Doo gags (such as a monster stealing Shaggy's sandwich as he runs away, and Shaggy returning just long enough to snatch his sandwich back then run away again) were peppered throughout the film. Watch for them- they're a lot of fun.

As the mystery unfolds, we are treated to lots of fun twists and turns, more than a few giggles, and a suprisingly intelligent (though not hard to follow) story.

While I won't give away all the rest of the story, here are some of my favorite tidbits:
-Scooby punches Fred in the face. FINALLY!
-Scrappy Doo makes a cameo, and "marks his territory" by peeing on Daphne. He is then kicked to the curb. (HA HA HA!)
-Daphne's bimbo facade gives away at the end and she kicks some serious butt!
-Fred finally makes a move on Daphne, who rejects him.
- And in one scene, Velma loses her trademark turtleneck sweater and dons a low-cut top that puts Daphne's figure to shame!

Some other things to note:
The action is very fact paced- don't drink too much soda, because if you have to make a bathroom run you may miss some crucial story elements.

The "bad guys" are a demonic cult- not fluffy ghosts and stereotypical monsters like in the cartoon series. I would say that this film is a bit more scary than the TV series was- little children may need to be reassured during some scenes.

The set design was INCREDIBLE. I hope that the person who designed them gets, like, a bajillion awards. The amount of detail on "Spooky Island" was really fantastic.

...and as for who the villian turns out to be...well that part is just too good to give away. You'll just have to find out for yourself.
Enjoy!