UrbanWire

Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard
Director: Raja Gosnell

I almost walked out of the theatre during the press screening of Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Don't get me wrong because the movie is done rather tastefully with a riot of colours and plenty of action, CGI-enhanced or otherwise. It was the childish actions and preposterous plot that really got me wanting to leave.

But witnessing hundreds of kids around me - enough to prove Singapore isn't facing a baby shortage over the years - laughing and having a good time prevented me from leaving and reminded the cynic critic in me of the purpose and audience for this film.

It a film for the kids and they love it, because the characters are literally colourful exactly like those in the Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon, the action is pure slapstick, fun and goofy, and even a Scooby Doo CGI delivers the laughs. From Fred's (Freddie Prinze Jr.) white-and-blue combination, Daphne's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) high-school purple, Shaggy's (Matthew Lillard) green tee to Velma's (Linda Cardellini) sexy red, the movie is resplendent and a feast for the eyes.

Aesthetics aside, the plot, as with the original cartoon series, is way too thin to sustain a movie's length and character development is minimal (hey, the kids just want to enjoy the action and popcorn). It's rather similar with the original shown back in 2002 but at least this time, people are really laughing. Coolsville is under siege and Mystery Inc comes to the rescue! Monsters are unleashed from the museum and Alicia Silverstone is resurrected from her Clueless movie days to star as Heather Jasper-Howe, a TV reporter investigating Mystery Inc.

All of a sudden, Seth Green (that funny geek in The Italian Job) appears and we wonder what this comic talent is doing here. Well, Green is Patrick Wisely, a museum curator infatuated with the nerdish Velma (on the contrary, Cardellini is gorgeous in real person). Velma appears in a skin-tight leather red suit on a date with Wisely, a hilarious scene for a more mature audience.

Speaking of which, the actors in the movie are really brave to make fools of themselves (read: Cardellini embarrassing herself in a tight sexy dress) and for not trying too hard to be clever in the show. Clearly, they are revelling in good ol' family fun, which you should too.