Welcome to Guilty As Charged, a series dedicated to highlighting films that most people consider “bad”, but boy oh boy do I love them! Okay, maybe I don’t “love” them per se, but there is definitely something about them that just checks all those sweet little boxes whenever I watch a film. Maybe it’s the age-old nostalgia, maybe I actually think they are quality films with positives overwhelming the negatives, but honestly these aren’t the best films ever made, they’re just films I can’t seem to dislike no matter how many times people tell me they’re heaping piles of trash. My goal here isn’t to tell you why you’re wrong for not enjoying these films, I am simply here to have a good time just as I do with these films.
Ruh-roh! I actually really dig the 2002 live action Scooby Doo movie, so grab your nearest box of Scooby Snacks and see what I have to say about this underrated gem of a movie!
The animated Scooby-Doo shows and merchandise are a staple, no, a cornerstone of my life. Between Scooby and Blue from Blue's Clues, a story full of mysteries led by a lovable dog was integral to my deeper appreciation of crime dramas as I got older. Scooby Doo: Alien Invasion was a VHS tape that I would rewind over and over and over again, and seeing the seeds planted for the reveal at the end became more apparent with each viewing. Piecing together the puzzle or unraveling the mystery for every other Scooby-Doo film or episode to follow was a routine in my consumption of the medium.
As an over-excited six year-old you could only imagine my anticipation for the Raja Gosnell directed (Did you know that he directed Show Dogs?), James Gunn penned film. No need for a double take, YES, THE James Gunn. The same guy who went on to direct The Guardians of the Galaxy to humongous box office success and critical acclaim just 12 years later. Which is actually where I want to begin when talking about this film. Over the past few years I’ve given James Gunn some criticism regarding his lackluster screenwriting ability. Yeah I’m one of those guys who doesn’t think either Guardians films are all that, and I actually think Gunn’s tackling of Scooby-Doo prepared him for eventual success in both of those MCU films that most people love.
When it comes down to it, Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma are very simplified caricatures. Fred is the full of himself pretty boy that abuses his (white) privilege by taking credit for Velma’s work, and makes moves on Daphne. Daphne is the strangely attractive damsel in distress who acts as the eye candy for whichever masked person they’re taking on next, Velma the nerdy, incapable (when she loses her glasses) punching bag who doesn’t get the credit she deserves, and Shaggy the procrastinating, fearful, obvious pot-smoker who talks to his dog Scooby Doo while most likely under the influence. What I find most fascinating is that Gunn takes the outline of these caricatures and somehow found a way to explore them in a way we hadn’t seen before. By taking that outline and essentially shattering our expectations of them and even the characters’ expectations of themselves.
As the movie begins, the entire gang fits right into the mold of what we’re used to seeing from a typical animated Scooby-Doo film. The film jumps forward a year and the gang is disbanded until the owner of Spooky Island, Emile Mondavarious (played by an ever funny Rowan Atkinson), invites them to help solve the mystery on the island. After a brief catch up with what the characters have been spending their time doing separated, the movie then capitalizes on what a live action Scooby-Doo movie should be accomplishing. The setting is unique and the set design feels like an animated design come to life in typical Scooby-Doo fashion. The floors creak beneath every step, sharp objects loom in the background, scary faces hang large and wide as they devour the characters, and eyes behind paintings dart around abandoned rides as the Mystery Gang waltzes through one door and out another. It perfectly encapsulates a staple to the Scooby-Doo experience as the sets themselves compliment the loose scares strung throughout. Here, Spooky Island feels like a living, breathing, historic hotspot and it is visualized perfectly.
Going back to the characters for a moment, this cast knocks it out of the park, and I honestly couldn’t envision another group of actors perfectly stepping into the shoes of these characters and doing a better job. Matthew Lillard is obviously getting a lot of the spotlight now because of the Shaggy memes, but Linda Cardellini, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Freddie Prinze Jr. bring the Gang to life in a way we hadn’t seen. Beyond nailing the voices of each character, their mannerisms and personality are more defined, and in return it gives these historic characters something for us to appreciate on a deeper level. Which wouldn’t have come to fruition if not for Gunn taking these simple characters and sending them on a simple journey over the course of the film.
By now, you’ve probably already seen this film so don’t come at me with the spoiler nonsense, but where the Gang ends up appears seamless and without strain. Once the fearful, apathetic goofball, Shaggy evolves into the fearless, headstrong member of the Gang when everyone else loses their soul and Scooby becomes the sacrifice. Daphne had always been the damsel in distress who had to be saved after her body was used to seduce the creature into a trap. Now, her body isn’t used just to stand there and look pretty, but to fight the threat and eventually save the entire Gang by launching herself (Kung Fu style) at Rey Mysterio-lite. Fred finally gives credit to Velma by acting out of selflessness rather than selfishness, and Velma isn’t the only one who conjures up a plan to save the day. When we learned that each character was re-discovering their individuality during their break-up, we saw each journey come to its conclusion in an organic, meaningful way. By the time the film ends they (along with us) learn more about themselves by reuniting with each other and it somehow works on multiple levels in a Scooby-Doo movie of all movies. Maybe it’s because the films have never been concerned with where to take these characters on a thematic level, but I’m really glad James Gunn was. When translating animation to live-action I think that Scooby-Doo is a perfect property to explore in the medium, and I think this original film does that (extremely) well. How else were they going to make this film? How else would they have written it? It follows the textbook structure of the property and it still takes the time to explore the iconic characters amongst all of that. I’m not quite sure what the expectations were for this film, but it’s the best version of a live-action Scooby-Doo movie we’re going to get.