Movie Review: Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the characters are in frequent
peril that is intended to be comic, but may be overwhelming for
some children. No one is hurt, but the ghosts and monsters are
ghoulish looking and some kids may find them more scary than
silly. A kick in the crotch is intended as humorous. The movie
has some crude potty humor and some mild language ("butt,"
"screwed up"). There is a particularly annoying product
placement for Burger King.
Families can talk about what it means to use a comment "out of context." What did Heather do to make Fred's statements seem as though they meant something other than what he intended? Why was it hard for Velma to believe that Patrick liked her? What do you think of Daphne's comment that "The object of a healthy relationship is to never let them know you have flaws?" Why did Shaggy think he was not helping his friends? What did he learn? Why was it so easy for Heather to change so many people's minds about the Mystery Inc. folks? What helps you decide what you think about people in the news?
Common Sense Media Review
Only Scooby fans will enjoy this affectionate live-action
tribute to the unquenchably popular cartoon series.
MONSTERS UNLEASHED abandons the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie's wobbly attempt to appeal both to kids -- with silly scares -- and older teens -- with self-aware irony and double entendres. Instead, this one is a straight-on re-enactment of the cartoon classic, with some of the series' most memorable bad guys, including The Pterodactyl Ghost, The Black Knight Ghost, Captain Cutler's Ghost, and The 10,000 Volt Ghost, uniting in a sort of all-star reunion of a scarefest.
The Mystery Inc. ghostbusters -- Fred ( Freddie Prinze, Jr.), Daphne ( Sarah Michelle Gellar), Velma ( Linda Cardellini), Shaggy ( Matthew Lillard), and Scooby-Doo (computer graphics plus the rowlfy voice of Neil Fanning) -- are being feted at the gala opening of an exhibit devoted to their adventures at the Coolsonian Museum. As they walk down the red carpet, they are greeted by television reporter Heather ( Alicia Silverstone) and each of them has a group of devoted fans. But the gala is disrupted when what they thought was a replica of The Pterodactyl Ghost turns out to be the ghost itself.
Before long, all of the costumes from the exhibit are stolen and Heather has made the MI-ers look incompetent and arrogant.
Each member of the gang feels responsible. Shaggy and Scooby in particular want to show the others that they can be heroes, too. It will take all of their courage and skill to vaporize the ghosts and un-mask the culprit. Is it Old Man Wickles ( Peter Boyle), his one-time prison cellmate Jacobo ( Tim Blake Nelson)? Or could it be Patrick, the Coolsonium Museum curator ( Seth Green)? The skills and loyalty -- and appetite -- of the whole crew will be necessary to save the day.
The special effects are fun, especially a silly disco dance number starring Scooby in a huge Afro wig to a cover of Sly Stone's "Thank You (Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Again)," and the action sequences have energy and humor. But the characters are, well, cartoonish, and for anyone but hard-core fans, who will recognize every reference to each of Scooby's many cartoon incarnations, any charm in seeing them played by actors on the big screen wore off sometime ten minutes into the first one.
Families who enjoy this movie will enjoy the original Scooby cartoons like Scooby Classics (including the very first episode) and others in the extensive straight-to-DVD series, including Scooby-Doo: Pirates Ahoy! . For more kid crime-solving, try Nancy Drew or even Spy Kids .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
