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t's a gala night in Coolsville. The Coolsonian Museum is unveiling an exhibit of the monsters unmasked over the years by Mystery Inc., and the gang has arrived on the red carpet to bask in their success: Daphne (Gellar), Fred (Prinze), Velma (Cardellini), Shaggy (Lillard) and Scooby-Doo (voiced by Neil Fanning).
Inside, Velma goes all gooey when she spies Patrick (Seth Green), the museum's curator, who wants nothing more than to ask Velma out on a date. But she demurs: "I can't. Mystery Inc. is my mistress. I must heed her call."
But just as the party's getting started, lightning blasts out a window and one of the monster costumes, the Pterodactyl Ghost, comes alive! The gang fails to secure the beast before it flies around the museum, dragging Shaggy and Scooby in its wake and destroying exhibits. That's when a huge masked figure appears in the window, challenging the gang and vowing revenge. Intrepid reporter Heather Jasper-Howe (Alicia Silverstone) grills the gang on why they failed Coolsville.
Back at the swinging-'60s Mystery Inc. headquarters and lab, the gang tries to figure out who's behind the attack. Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby worry that they're perpetual screwups. They resolve to become more like "real detectives."
Research reveals that the culprit may be connected with their old nemesis, Old Man Wickles (Peter Boyle). They pile into the Mystery Machine and drive to the uber-creepy Wickles Mansion to investigate. But it's not long before the gang find themselves in another predicament, one involving all of the old monsters they once thought were vanquished.
Not so magical Mystery Inc. tour
The one thing that can be said for this big-budget visual-effects extravaganza is that it is less annoying than its predecessor and that all involved throw themselves into the production with such conviction that one has to admire their willingness to make utter fools of themselves in the service of family entertainment. OK, that's two things.
Beyond that, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is what it is: a kids' movie with a seven-figure budget at which children will laugh themselves silly and which their parents will tolerate with an occasional chuckle while checking their watches.
At least this time around, the filmmakers know what they're doing. In the first movie, director Gosnell and company weren't quite sure what they had: a family movie or a snarky satire. This time, they know what works: fart jokes, CGI monsters, slapstick hijinks mainly involving Shaggy and Scooby, lots of chases, lots of action and movie-of-the-week bromides about just being happy being who you are. It's all innocuous enough, though unlikely to appeal to anyone older than 10.
Screenwriter Gunn (who, incongruously, also penned the hit Dawn of the Dead remake) knows his Scooby and has done for the sequel what the first movie lacked: kept the gang together, kept them in Coolsville and pitted them against monsters the audience will recognize from the animated Scooby TV show. He's thrown in a couple of new characters, notably Green's Patrick Wisely as Velma's love interest, and Green's scenes with Cardellini offer adults some of their only enjoyable moments.
The filmmakers have also upped the action quotient dramatically, with set piece after set piece, many including the previously ill-used Mystery Machine, and the effects, sets and action sequences are impressively mounted.
The actors show that they've grown comfortable in their cartoon-character skins, especially Lillard, who one fears must have sprained every muscle in his body bringing Shaggy's boneless spasticity to life. Cardellini continues to charm as the monotone Velma, even improvising some of the movie's funniest bits involving a red-leather catsuit. Gellar's Daphne has all but morphed into Buffy's long-lost twin sister. Prinze has a little more to do this time, eliciting mild laughs as the clueless Fred. And there are plenty of surprising cameos and cheery dance bits that keep the energy up.
I squirmed while watching Scooby 2, but it grew on me the more I thought about it. But I wouldn't go unless I were trailing a pack of 8-year-olds with me; they're the ones who'll really dig this dog. — Patrick
Also in this issue: The Winning Season and Dawn of the Dead Divimax Special Edition DVD
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