Hanna-Barbera’s cartoon series focused on a bunch of meddling kids and their timid dog. This Warner animated reboot hones in on the bond between said dog (Scooby) and the group’s gamma-male, Shaggy. It took a critical battering when it was released in the US. Jinkies! It’s not THAT bad.
For reasons no doubt linked to money, our heroes are placed in a sci-fi universe crammed with other Hanna-Barbera characters (Dick Dastardly, the Blue Falcon, Captain Caveman, etc).
Once you’re over that hurdle (and can tune out the bewilderingly frequent references to Simon Cowell) the script’s quite jolly.
Velma as a kid wears a Ruth Bader Ginsburg Halloween costume. That’s a lovely touch, as is making her an obvious Latina. Gina Rodriguez, famous for playing an effervescent, brainy, Venezuelan-American in Jane the Virgin, makes that transition plausible.
Mark Wahlberg is also delightful as Brian, the Blue Falcon’s spoilt son, while Jason Isaacs and Zac Efron (as Dastardly and Fred) handle a naughty joke about the Hemsworth brothers beautifully.
Tony Cervone’s cheeky meddling with a franchise is inferior to James Bobin’s 2011 Muppets reboot, but it’s fun and will keep kids glued to the couch.
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