The Worst Film Ever

Just so...so bad

Brilliant and touching

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Scooby-Doo and the Legend of the Vampire (2003) * 1/2 (out of 4) I was always a fan of the TV show so I thought I'd check out one of the movies since this is the only month that seems fitting. Scooby and the gang go to Australia for a rock concert but band members start turning into vampires. I was really, really disappointed in this thing because everything that made the TV show entertaining is missing here. I guess you could say this movie was dumbed down for kids but expanding this out of a 30-minute running time also hurts thing because often times the mystery is put on the back burner while we see stupid stuff ranging from concerts to other items. The actual mystery that is here seems watered down and gets boring after the first twenty minutes. I wasn't too impressed with the vocals either, which is strange since four of the original members were together again for this.

With all those made-for-video Scooby-Doo movies by Warner Bros. Animation usually lacking the spirit of the older cartoons, Legend of the Vampire is back to the basics! So far, the first three of them were very dark and focused on real monsters, while the Cyber Chase one was better, going back to the fake-monster villains and containing some references to the older series. However, this one is even better! It seems to have been made to appeal to Scooby baby-boomers like me. The gang has their classic outfits, many of the old H-B sound effects are back, and the character design is just like classic H-B! The old voice talent is back, even Nicole Jaffe as Velma at long last! It was a thrill to hear the original Velma we all know again. However, I still think Frank Welker's Scooby voice is nice, but I prefer Don Messick Scooby's voice (even over Scott Innes as Scooby!) Welker's Scooby sounds more like Brain the Dog (of "Inspector Gadget" fame). The music is well-done remixes of the classic Scooby underscore (it sounds like it was made on an electric synthesizer,)and the animation is nice and fluid (MUCH better than usual Termite Terrace animation.) Also they ditched the new H-B Scooby logo to remake the classic zooming Hanna-Barbera end logo (with the big, abstract orange "H-B" coming up to the screen), which I find odd since this film, like the other 1998-2001 Scooby video movies, were made at Warner Bros. Animation instead of Hanna-Barbera. But it is still neat. Also, although it is done in a full "retro-mation" style, they still have modern references, such as using the Internet on laptops, as well as the Yowie-Yahoo being a gigantic monstrous vampire (which makes it a bit more like the previous films). The surprise-twist during the unmasking scene is also cool. However, there is a minor flaw with this film. The audio mixing was done very poorly. It's in 5.1 surround, but not all of the sound effects come out clearly. (You'll need a surround-speaker set to notice this.) So far, I discovered nighttime ambiance sounds hidden beneath the music during night scenes, and during the big thunderstorm at the beginning, among the new, digitally-recorded lightning strikes, the old H-B "Castle Thunder" sounds can be heard. That is the only problem, so far. This slightly reminds me of how they produced "Krypto the Superdog" and Spumco produced "Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon" (reusing most of the old voices and H-B SFX, "classic" drawing artwork, etc.) Plus, with the DVD edition here, you get audio commentary made by Fred, Shaggy and Scooby, as well as specially-produced outtakes, and more! All in all, if you like the classic Scooby-Doo cartoons of the sixties and seventies, this is the film for you!

Voice actor Frank Welker is to voice acting what Lon Chaney & Lon Chaney Jr. were to acting through layers of makeup. But while Frank has done just about everything from people to animals to special creature vocalizations to killer robots (he voiced 13 of the original Decepticons on "Transformers"), to some people Frank will ALWAYS be the voice of Fred from "Scooby-Doo". But for some reason, Frank has been pulling double duty lately as both Fred and Scooby, who was previously voiced by Scott Innes, who got the job after the original voice of Scooby, Don Messick, died. Frank's still a good Fred, but despite his considerable vocal talent, his Scooby is something of a disappointment: he never quite captures Don's Scooby pitch the way Scott did and for the most part his Scooby sounds too much like Fred. Which is strange considering that Frank's been with Scooby from the beginning. That's just one of the dis-pleasures of this entry.The gang heads down under for vacation and ends up investigating the goings on at a rock festival which leads to a group of alleged vampires. Though colorfully drawn and full of gags, it never reaches the height of "Zombie Island", "Witch's Ghost", "Alien Invaders" and even the original show itself. The best bit is probably Fred carrying the whole gang across a rope bridge. Velma also sings with the voice of Jennifer Love Hewitt.Still, it's nice to have the old crew back together - Nicole Jaffe as Velma, Heather North as Daphne (though technically Daphne #2) and Casey Kasem as Shaggy (who was absent from the previous entries). The "commentary" by Fred, Shaggy and Scooby is mildly amusing.

After annoyingly sitting through the previous recent feature films that modernized this classic cartoon, I am happy to see that the Scooby Doo creators are getting back to their roots. Why mess with something good? I'm so happy that the gang is back in original gear, riding in the classic Mystery Machine, and grooving to tribute tunes. If they have to update the animation, at least they are leaving the content the same. If I wanted change or "creativity" with style, I'd watch a NEW cartoon.