Movie Reviews for Scooby Doo 1 the movie and Scooby Doo 2 the movie

The actor Matthew Lillard gives funny performances as the character Shaggy in the movies Scooby Doo 1 and Scooby Doo 2.

In the Scooby Doo movies, the team of characters that like to solve mysteries, Mystery Inc. consists of the characters:

• Fred (often considered the “leader”) played by Freddie Prinze Jr.,
• Daphne played by Sarah Michelle Gellar,
• Velma (the brainy one),
• Shaggy (the goofy one)
• and his best pal, the talking dog, Scooby Doo.

Scooby Doo I Movie Review

The movie Scooby Doo 1 opens with the team to have seemingly disbanded because of a squabble. Shaggy and Scooby hang out in their van and are approached by a messenger that invites them to Spooky Island.

• This place Spooky Island is an amusement park said to be built on the land where ancient creatures roamed and the spirts/ghosts of those ancient creatures have become agitated by the construction of the Spooky Island amusement park.
• Because Scooby Do and the gang are touted as experts in solving mysteries, the proprietor of Spooky Island is reaching out to them by way of this messenger and summoning them to visit Spooky Island and assist in solving the mysteries.

Shaggy is very hesitant about the offer when the messenger approaches him. Shaggy and Scooby Doo had been in their van, sitting and having some snacks. When the messenger/ courier approaches and calls out that he is looking for a Mr. Rogers and a Mr. Doo (That’s Shaggy Rogers and Scooby Doo), Shaggy and Scooby scramble out of the van to meet the person that is looking for them. It is a very comical moment when Scooby Doo is called Mr. Doo.

When Shaggy and Scooby get out of the van, you notice very obviously that the interior space of the van where Shaggy and Scooby were shown to be eating and drinking is much larger than when the get out of the van and you see that the van is really not that big, another funny moment.

The messenger explains that Shaggy and Scooby are being invited to Spooky Island and that they will be offered $10,000 USD compensation. Shaggy says that he’s not into “materialism”. He wants to make it clear that he has hung his hat on mystery solving and is not interested in going to Spooky Island. The messenger goes on to convince Shaggy to take the offer by mentioning that there will also be unlimited food included.

Shaggy and Scooby who had just been indulging in a smorgasbord of snacks are excited to hear about the free food!

Shaggy reaches out to the rest of the disbanded Mystery, Inc group and they all gather at the airport to board the plane to Spooky Island. At first, Fred (sporting a new longer hairstyle and showing that some time has passed since the members of the group last saw each other) is walking through the airport. Velma spots him and starts walking alongside him. They catch up a little bit, discussing what they have been up to. Velma says that she is “on a journey of self discovery”. Fred mentions his book that he had been working on. They spend just a brief bit of time chatting before they spot Daphne at the gate to board the plane. Daphne is dressed in her signature color purple (Velma’s signature color is orange, Fred’s signature color is blue and Shaggy’s signature color is green).

• Daphne also has a matching 7 piece purple luggage set and in another absurd and funny moment, she argues with the airport staff about boarding with all of that luggage.
• She asks why she shouldn’t be allowed to take 7 carry-ons on the plane!

At first, Daphne is upset to see Velma and Fred, asking what they are doing there. She tells them, “I am not talking to you guys” and motions as if she is zipping her lips but it’s not long before she is chatting with them again. Shaggy and Scooby Doo arrive at the airport too and Scooby Doo is wearing a dress and a hat, disguised as a “grandma”.

• The rest of the group can’t believe what they are seeing and Daphne says that no one would be stupid enough to believe that.
• Shaggy explains that large dogs are not allowed on the plane and of course, Scooby gets on the plane somehow in his disguise. (Before they all board the plane, Shaggy gets ribbed a little by the rest of the group because each of the individuals hadn’t known that Shaggy had invited them all.

Shaggy was hopeful to get the group to work altogether as a team again and ultimately, they did. On the plane, Shaggy meets and is immediately infatuated with a character named Mary Jane, played by the actress Isla Fisher. The plane is full of mainly college students heading to Spooky Island for spring break. Mary Jane asks to sit next to Shaggy and Scooby, who are already seated.

1. Shaggy makes room for her to get by and she immediately starts sneezing when she sits next to Scooby Doo.
2. She explains that this usually happens only when she is around dogs. Scooby Doo, still in his grandma costume changes seats and Shaggy and Mary Jane talk.
3. Shaggy tells Mary Jane that “Mary Jane” is his favorite name EVER. Mary Jane seems happy for the compliment….

Scooby Doo ruins his disguise when he starts barking at and chasing a cat on the airplane.

The exterior of the plane is shown on its descent to Spooky Island with some turbulence presumed to be caused by the raucous that Scooby Doo is creating inside.

As the group lands on Spooky Island, they are greeted by the man that summoned them there by the way of the messenger/ courier.

The personalities of the college kids leaving Spooky Island at the end of their vacations seem very different from those college kids that are arriving. The ones that have already spent their time at Spooky Island and are ready to leave seem to be a bit zombie like, eerily quiet and lined up in such a straight and well behaved line to make their exit.

1. One college kid that is just arrived on the island approaches another one that is leaving the island to say hi.
2. He sees that she does not seem to recognize him and he reminds her that they have known each other since they were three years old.
3. She fights him, lifts him up and throws him!! He gets up, scrambling and running.
4. The Mystery Inc. group observe what has occurred. It is definitely considered a clue that something very strange is going on, on this island!

The agitated ancient beings end up stealing the “protoplasm” from many of the people and controlling their personalities until the protoplasm of each individual can be returned to its rightful owner. Who is behind all of this? Who is controlling all of this?

All is revealed in the ridiculous yet funny Scooby Doo 1 movie.

Scooby Doo 2 Movie Review

In the movie, Scooby Doo 2, the whole gang reunites for some more mystery solving. Also in this movie, Scooby Doo 2 is actress Alicia Silverstone and actor Seth Green who plays the curator of a museum with the costumes of various monsters that Mystery Inc. has captured in the past. Alicia Silverstone plays a journalist / news reporter. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby all return and arrive at the musem, emerging from a stretch limo, treated like celebrities by a mass of adoring fans.

• Three young women dress in orange with the same black framed glasses that Velma wears and they greet her adoringly, letting her know that they love her.
• The Mystery Inc. team is well known now for basically saving the whole world from evil takeover and destruction in the Scooby Doo 1 movie.
• Alicia Silverstone’s reporter character asks Fred for a “word” and Daphne immediately steps in as if she does not want Fred talking to the reporter. The reporter rolls her eyes.

Eventually, after the bustle of this movie intro, the group enters the museum. In the museum, Velma and Seth Green’s museum curator character catch each other’s eyes. They are immediately smitten with each other. Seth Green’s character thinks that Velma is mysterious, glamorous and jet setting. He wants to take her out on a date and she refuses. By the expression on his face, he is unpleasantly surprised. He had thought that they had a connection and a chemistry.

1. Velma later confides in Daphne that the museum curator thinks that Velma is mysterious, glamorous and jet setting and Velma does not feel like she is really any of those things.
2. It is one of the more friendly exchanges between Velma and Daphne in the movie. (They can seem to have a rivalry at times).
3. Velma asks Daphne what to do when someone thinks you’re glamorous, mysterious and jet setting but you’re not and Daphne says that she would make herself that way.
4. Daphne goes on to help Velma have a makeover with a very form fitting suit that Velma is comically unable to walk properly in.

Later on in the movie, Velma and the museum curator go on a date that is quite awkward because Velma is so uncomfortable in what she is wearing.

At a time when the museum curator is away from the museum, many items are stolen from the museum. The museum curator is distraught and Velma lets him know that she is so sorry. He is a bit brash with her as he walks away, when he had always been kind and gentle before.

Shaggy also sees the museum curator in an alley later. The museum curator is roughing up some guys because he wants answers. He is short in stature and the guys that he is intimidating are much bigger than him. Shaggy is surprised to see this and later suggests that the museum curator has a bit of split personality!

The mystery solving crew, Mystery Inc. eventually find out that the monster costumes have been stolen to use to make actual monsters. Lots of funny action in the movie involves the team from Mystery Inc.- Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby trying to combat these monsters and return order to the land.

Shaggy and Scooby have complexes as they are made to feel like “screw ups”. Shaggy is particularly down about this, saying that they were always goofy and screwing up the plans before but he never really noticed before.

Shaggy and Scooby are determined to act like real detectives and dress the part too. Shaggy wears an ascot that Fred is known for wearing (signature style) and Scooby borrows Daphne’s purple knee high boots but complains that they are too tight. There are lots of hilarious moments.

Shaggy and Scooby DO end up saving the day in many ways during the Scooby Doo 2 movie including Scooby driving, yes driving the van. He even says, “I’m driving!” to his own surprise since everyone else in the group is unable to drive the van in that important moment. When Scooby stops the van for them all to get out, he only had a minor crash into something. Velma is proud of Scooby and says, “You did it!” These scenes are funny.

Want to see what happens next? Want to see Scooby Doo drive a car?

Buy or rent the Scooby Doo 2 movie DVD to see the action. Scooby Doo 2 is rated PG.

These movies, Scooby Doo 1 and Scooby Doo 2 are both rated PG. There is a bit of rude and crude humor inserted here and there in both movies. For example, the passing gas contests between Shaggy and Scooby are totally over the top gross out humor. Like, eww! The movies would have been just as funny and more classy without such scenes.

For the most part, these movies are quite cute and funny. There is the catchphrase, “Be afraid, be a little afraid” for the Scooby Doo movie franchise. We might all know the common saying, “Be afraid, be very afraid.” Well, with the Scooby Doo movies, the movie watching experience will be intentionally more silly than frightening so it will suffice to be just “a little afraid” of the featured monsters.