The latest cinematic universe has arrived and it’s not one that anyone particularly asked for - enter Hanna-Barbera Studios. Home to Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones and, of course, Scooby-Doo and friends, Warner Bros have decided now is the time to unite these old school cartoons for a multi-picture mash-up franchise event. And the first in that line of animated cacophony - Scoob!
Scooby-Doo is the most prominent of the Hanna-Barbera pack and probably the only property that still reaches out to kids these days, so it was a smart move to use Scoob! as a jumping off point for a new movie franchise. Another smart thing to do was not make this an origin movie.
There are a couple of flashbacks at the beginning that tell the story of how the Mystery Inc gang met and got together but after that, the adventure kicks off and we are introduced to a whole new host of characters who are presumably opening up gateways for sequels and spin-offs. Think Captain America: Civil War, but instead of Black Panther and Spider-Man, we get the Blue Falcon, Dick Dastardly and, uh, Captain Caveman.
It works to some degree - we all know who Scooby-Doo and the gang are, so we don’t need to spend a load of time with them fleshing out their characters. However, in introducing so many new characters to the mix, this really takes Scoob! away from being a Scooby-Doo movie. You know, the spooky monster, the clue-hunting, even a lot of the catchphrases hit the cutting room floor. There are some attempts at utilising the old-school tropes and sometimes they work, but including them highlights so distinctly that is a far-cry from what Scooby-Doo is actually supposed to be.
It’s not quite sure who the intended audience is, either. Sure, it’s a kid’s movie but it also plays a lot on nostalgia aimed at kids who grew up watching these shows. Shows that aired back in the 60s, meaning the parents of kids these days are not necessarily going to have seen the shows originally, either. And the humour doesn’t make a lot of sense. There are jokes about the Hemsworth brothers, Netflix subscription fees and yes, the rumours are true, Tinder. It’s a fine line between making a kids movie for adults (hello, Shrek) and making a movie that often alienates both its audiences. The cast works. Mark Wahlberg and Zac Efron as the Blue Falcon and Fred, respectively, stand-out. However, this isn’t a movie that knows exactly what it wants to be. But if you’ve ever wanted to see Dastardly, voiced by Jason Isaacs, shouting ‘DICK!’ multiple times at Scooby-Doo, then this is the movie for you.
Score: 44/100