Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009)

Much like everyone else on this planet I grew up watching Scooby Doo, and have since seen many of the countless TV shows and movies over the years. My son and I ended up catching The Mystery Begins one night on Cartoon Network, and my son and I instantly fell in love with it. For a CN movie I wasn't expecting much, but I couldn't believe how good it actually turned out to be. I was never really a fan of the two big budget films that were released in the 2000's. I didn't like the cast. I didn't like the story. The whole thing just felt wrong, and I felt that Scooby and his gang deserved a better representation. Well they got it with this movie. The effects are really bad, but the cast more than makes up for it with their superb performances. I feel like all four of the main cast were born to play these roles. Unlike the big budget Scooby films where those actors couldn't have been more wrong, these four couldn't have been more right. Things can get a bit silly at times, but it wouldn't be Scooby Doo otherwise. The plot is simple, and easy for kids to follow with plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep you interested. This movie came out in 2009, and Robbie Amell seems to be the only one of the main cast to go on to other notable things, and that really is a shame because this group of actors are really talented. Their chemistry, specifically between each other, really comes across on screen, and really that's the most important thing for a Scooby Doo movie to get right. My only real complaint, and it is a minor one, is that Fred's hair isn't blonde, but other than that it really is a great movie that the whole family can sit down and enjoy together. I'd recommend it for kids and families or just any fan of Scooby Doo. A solid 10 out of 10.

It's cute enough. You can watch it with the whole family although I'd advise adults to stay away from it (unless you're a Scooby fan). I had a few problems with it but overall in wasn't HALF bad. I really wanted to question why Freddie's hair was black instead of blond but I suppose it doesn't matter. What am I saying? Of course it matters! This is robust, brawny, buff, BLOND Fred Jones we're talking about. Why they couldn't have died his hair, I'll never know. But, cutting to the point, gonna make this nice and snappy. It was better than, in my opinion, the first two live action movies (Scooby Doo and Monster's Unleashed). So of course, Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy belong to different...um, cliques? groups? Social circles? I'm really not sure what to call them. I didn't mind Fred the (sensitive) Jock, he was okay (except for the HAIR). I loved Velma, her geeky attitude, hatred for pretty types and love for the jock (She's a nerd, get it?). Shaggy was his normal beatnik/hippe/stoner type. He found Scooby in his bed one night (Didn't think he payed money for him, did you?). Daphne? Daphne, Daphne, Daphne. I liked her in the cartoons. Let's just leave at that. Oh by the way, the characters meet each other in high school. I'm just pointing out that it doesn't go into continuity with "A Pup named Scooby Doo" where they were practically...sandbox mates.

I think I read one comment that started with "If you're a fan of the cartoon series, watch the first two movies but ignore this" or something to that affect. Well, I just want to put in my two cents and give this movie the support it deserves, as I think it was great and am surprised at all the negativity about it. I am a huge fan of the cartoon (always watched it while growing up and still love it now), and in my opinion the first two movies DO NOT capture the cartoon at all and are badly cast, whereas this movie TOTALLY embodies the spirit of the cartoon, and as far as I'm concerned seemed like a live-action episode of the cartoon, or a cartoon episode "come to life" if you will - even the ghosts and villain in a mask were perfect. The casting of each member of the Scooby Gang was perfect, yes, even the Asian Velma (which for some reason seems to bother a lot of folks - come on people, Hayley Kiyoko depicted Velma to a tee!); and one reviewer berated that Fred was a douche-bag jock, but I don't think he came across as that; I believe in the movie that he was supposed to be a high school senior and in my experience none of the jocks were as nice as he came across - they were all total bullies. Someone else griped that Scooby Doo looked so small it seemed like he'd been starved, but they are forgetting that Scooby Doo is supposed to be younger in this movie; possible still a puppy. Anyway, all in all I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would love to see it as a live-action series.

I was really excited when I first saw the preview for this movie. For some reason, even though I had been a bit disappointed by the first film and never saw the second, I felt that there was something great about this new one. I just purchased and watched it, and boy was that feeling right! I honestly don't think I've enjoyed a Scooby film more since 'Zombie Island'. It really captures the spirit of the old show, without being a slave to every detail from the old continuity. The director, writers, and actors all seem to have done their homework studying the Scooby mythos, because they all have come together to make a film worthy of the greatest of the Scooby movies. The new timeframe and younger characters are really refreshing, and are like a breath of fresh air after the slew of movies with an older Mystery Five (Zombie Island and the following movies, the first two live-action movies), and the actors are really well-selected; they made me care about the characters, embodying them perfectly and adding new layers to them.Daphne being an actor was great, and worked really well, although the idea of the rich girl being obsessed with the stage was in a decidedly post-High School Musical vein. In fact, the film was definitely identifiably post-HSM, but it worked really well, and it should no doubt draw in the younger crowds. Daphne's chemistry with Fred was great in this movie, and I found myself really hoping for them to become a couple for real (next movie, perhaps!). Shaggy was spot-on, and made me feel bad for him in the first parts of the film. I had never really considered a pre-Mystery Inc. Shaggy in high school before (probably because I had the Pup Named Scooby Doo continuity in my head and assumed everyone was friends from forever), and I think he was really shown as he should be. His crush on Velma was great, but I would love to see her really fall for him, perhaps with the introduction of Googie as a romantic rival in the next film (I'm dreaming, but it could happen)! Velma was great, and the actor did a really wonderful job making her interesting enough that the audience doesn't get annoyed by her nerdiness. Her wardrobe was great too, with the updated hoodie instead of a turtleneck. In fact, all of the wardrobes were amazing in this film for the main characters; good job to that department!Fred was awesome. People caring about the hair thing should consider that, in the first two movies, it is obviously dyed. And they should watch the video time capsule on the special features. This actor was awesome, portraying the character perfectly as a believable jock, not overly dumb-jocky, but with a kind heart and a love for mysteries. He possibly stood out to me more than anyone else in the cast as doing a wonderful job. Scooby was good, but not there all that much; perhaps in the next film he could interact more with the gang. And it's wonderful to have the original Scooby voice back, but something about it didn't quite phase well with the rest of the characters; he seemed all on his own, as though his voice weren't really interacting with the others. That's probably always a struggle in a film where one voice is dubbed and the others are recorded on the set, but I hope it's better next time around.In conclusion, it was wonderful, and I highly recommend it to everyone, Scooby fan or not. To those overly concerned with CDs, continuity with other series, etc., get over it, please. It's a new continuity, and that's what it should be seen as. The mystery machine was a van in some of the series, like Monster Island, if I remember correctly, and the first live action movie, and 'Ghoul School' (of course, that was just a red van, but still...). I think this movie was the perfect encapsulation of the spirit of Scooby Doo, and I only hope that there will be many more in the same spirit to come, hopefully with these same great actors! May it receive the success it deserves!!!