Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
I enjoyed the 2002’s Scooby-Doo. It lampooned itself enough to appeal to older viewers and its stakes made it feel like a movie rather than an extended episode of the series. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed can’t say the same.
While attending an exhibition at the Coolsonian Criminology Museum commemorating their crime-solving achievements, Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma (Linda Cardellini), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), and Scooby-Doo (voiced by Neil Fanning) are attacked by their old foe, the Pterodactyl Ghost. With the original Ghost having died years ago, who could be responsible for unleashing this real monster?
This is a silly film that does not attempt to entertain adults forced to sit with their kids. You may laugh a few times - I related to the journalist (Alicia Silverstone) who creates a smear campaign against Mystery, Inc. - but you’ve got to dig deep for the good jokes. You’ll be shoveling aside funny dances as Scooby puts on an unconvincing costume and becomes the star of a club, scenes where he and Shaggy try out a variety of mad scientist potions on themselves, and more pratfalls so uninspired you won’t be able to remember them minutes after they’re over. While the bumbling members of the group try to prove themselves true detectives, Velma has a romantic subplot with a suspect (played by Seth Green) you won’t care about. Fred and Daphne assist. Didn’t the two kiss at the end of the last movie? Are we just going to ignore that?
The special effects have been improved but not much else. The writing is awful, particularly towards the end when writer James Gunn and director Raja Gosnell forget how a fire extinguisher works. Or maybe they just figure kids would give it a pass. Yeah, they probably will. This is the same thing children have been gobbling up since Scooby-Doo was created. There aren’t many surprises but why would there be? Even as a “movie”, this is doing the same thing as the first. It’s immediately clear the heroes are dealing with something supernatural. The first time it was something we “hadn’t seen before” (I know technically Shaggy and Scooby encountered genuine ghosts, werewolves, vampires, etc. before but that’s not what the show is known for). Doing it again isn't good enough. While Matthew Lillard is a standout in a role that suits him like a glove, his material isn’t as strong.
Ultimately, kids won’t care about these complaints. They’ll gobble this up and the goofier it gets, the better. For me, the only thing memorable about Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is the post-credit scene. Scooby shows up and gives you a code to access the final level in the two tie-in video games. Imagine being a kid in 2004, enjoying the game (I said imagine), and trying to convince your parents to take you to the theater so you could write down a code! That’s funnier than anything in this movie. (August 3, 2020)
