As
with the first live action film based upon the antics of cowardly canine
detective, SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED ($28) isn’t going to
win anyone an Oscar, but it does prove to be generally harmless and
amusing fun. Of course, I should also note that SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS
UNLEASHED is actually a somewhat better movie than its predecessor,
since it sticks somewhat closer to the successful formula of the SCOOBY-DOO,
WHERE ARE YOU! television series. This time out, we find that the
members of Mystery Inc. have continued their long run of success, which,
as the film opens, is being honored by a museum exhibit dedicated to the
mysteries the gang has solved over the course of their careers.
Unfortunately,
the museum dedication is ruined by a new masked bad guy who sets out to
destroy Mystery Inc., by bringing to life real incarnations of monsters
they faced down in the past. When the museum debacle gets a lot of bad
press, the two members of Mystery Inc. noted for their enormous appetites,
begin to question their value to the enterprise, and set out to try and
solve this new mystery on their own. But, before the villain is unmasked,
the audience is treated to plenty of red herrings, plus quite a bit
slapstick and goofy lowbrow humor, which is what one would have had to
expect from any movie based upon a cartoon series. The cast of SCOOBY
DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED features Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, Sarah
Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Linda Cardellini as
Velma and Neil Fanning as the voice of the CGI Scooby-Doo. Seth Green,
Peter Boyle and Alicia Silverstone lend their support to the proceedings.
Warner
Home Video has made SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED available on
DVD in a 1.78:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. This being a high profile title from a major
studio, it should come as no surprise that SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS
UNLEASHED looks gorgeous on DVD. Boasting excellent definition and
sharpness, the picture looks just about as good as it can get. Colors are
absolutely superb, appearing rich and highly saturated, without a hint of
noise or smearing. Blacks are highly accurate, as are the white, plus the
picture produces excellent contrast and shadow detail. The film elements
used for the transfer are virtually pristine and there is little
appreciable film grain during the presentation. Digital compression
artifacts are always nicely concealed.
SCOOBY
DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED comes with a pretty darn good Dolby Digital
5.1 channel soundtrack. The track is aggressively mixed, maybe not action
movie caliber, but there are plenty of sound effects that occasionally
play up the more cartoonish qualities of the material. Surrounds aren’t
consistently deployed, but they kick in very effectively when required by
the situations in the film. The forward soundstage has a very broad
quality, with excellent channel separation. Voices sound pretty natural
and the dialogue remains completely intelligible. French and Spanish 5.1
channel tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English, French and
Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a few supplements. There are about seven
minutes of deleted scenes contained on the DVD that can be viewed with or
without commentary by director Raja Gosnell. The deleted scenes don’t
really add to the story, but they are interesting to watch because they
contain incomplete animation of the CGI Scooby-Doo character. Next there
are three featurettes Triple Threat- a ten minute making of,
True Ghoul Hollywood Story- a five minute parody of a sit
down with some villains, and Dancing Dog- a five minute look
at how they made the Doo boogie. A couple of interactive games, plus two
music videos and preview trailers close out the supplements.
SCOOBY
DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED is a fun live action follow up that will
appeal to kids and long time fans of the Scooby gang. Warner’s
widescreen DVD looks and sounds great- making it a disc well worth
checking out.
As
with the first live action film based upon the antics of cowardly canine
detective, SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED ($28) isn’t going to
win anyone an Oscar, but it does prove to be generally harmless and
amusing fun. Of course, I should also note that SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS
UNLEASHED is actually a somewhat better movie than its predecessor,
since it sticks somewhat closer to the successful formula of the SCOOBY-DOO,
WHERE ARE YOU! television series. This time out, we find that the
members of Mystery Inc. have continued their long run of success, which,
as the film opens, is being honored by a museum exhibit dedicated to the
mysteries the gang has solved over the course of their careers.
Unfortunately,
the museum dedication is ruined by a new masked bad guy who sets out to
destroy Mystery Inc., by bringing to life real incarnations of monsters
they faced down in the past. When the museum debacle gets a lot of bad
press, the two members of Mystery Inc. noted for their enormous appetites,
begin to question their value to the enterprise, and set out to try and
solve this new mystery on their own. But, before the villain is unmasked,
the audience is treated to plenty of red herrings, plus quite a bit
slapstick and goofy lowbrow humor, which is what one would have had to
expect from any movie based upon a cartoon series. The cast of SCOOBY
DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED features Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, Sarah
Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Linda Cardellini as
Velma and Neil Fanning as the voice of the CGI Scooby-Doo. Seth Green,
Peter Boyle and Alicia Silverstone lend their support to the proceedings.
Warner
Home Video has made SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED available on
DVD in a 1.78:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. This being a high profile title from a major
studio, it should come as no surprise that SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS
UNLEASHED looks gorgeous on DVD. Boasting excellent definition and
sharpness, the picture looks just about as good as it can get. Colors are
absolutely superb, appearing rich and highly saturated, without a hint of
noise or smearing. Blacks are highly accurate, as are the white, plus the
picture produces excellent contrast and shadow detail. The film elements
used for the transfer are virtually pristine and there is little
appreciable film grain during the presentation. Digital compression
artifacts are always nicely concealed.
SCOOBY
DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED comes with a pretty darn good Dolby Digital
5.1 channel soundtrack. The track is aggressively mixed, maybe not action
movie caliber, but there are plenty of sound effects that occasionally
play up the more cartoonish qualities of the material. Surrounds aren’t
consistently deployed, but they kick in very effectively when required by
the situations in the film. The forward soundstage has a very broad
quality, with excellent channel separation. Voices sound pretty natural
and the dialogue remains completely intelligible. French and Spanish 5.1
channel tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English, French and
Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a few supplements. There are about seven
minutes of deleted scenes contained on the DVD that can be viewed with or
without commentary by director Raja Gosnell. The deleted scenes don’t
really add to the story, but they are interesting to watch because they
contain incomplete animation of the CGI Scooby-Doo character. Next there
are three featurettes Triple Threat- a ten minute making of,
True Ghoul Hollywood Story- a five minute parody of a sit
down with some villains, and Dancing Dog- a five minute look
at how they made the Doo boogie. A couple of interactive games, plus two
music videos and preview trailers close out the supplements.
SCOOBY
DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED is a fun live action follow up that will
appeal to kids and long time fans of the Scooby gang. Warner’s
widescreen DVD looks and sounds great- making it a disc well worth
checking out.
