Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword (2009)

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH the Scooby-Doo gang has been a rocky one lately. On a leap of faith, Dash and I watched the direct-to-video movie Scooby-Doo and The Loch Ness Monster, and surprisingly we loved it. Then we got burned on the next Scooby d-to-v release, Scooby-Doo: Pirates Ahoy!

Now, there’s a brand new d-to-v Scooby film with the potentially awesome title, Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword. I searched in vain to find it at our local video stores or On Demand…then found it in the “For Sale” box at our local library for just $1.

Maybe that should’ve tipped me off…

Plot:
The Scooby gang arrives in Tokyo, Japan so Daphne can enter a martial arts tournament at an ancient temple that houses a martial arts school. (Who knew she had the “chops?” HEY-o!) They arrive just after the Ghost of the Black Samurai broke out of a local museum in search of the Scroll of Destiny, which (wouldn’t ya know) resides at the temple hosting the tournament.

Critique:

After some heard-it-before one-liners from Scooby and Shaggy, and clever nods to Enter the Dragon and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Samurai loses its strength – and the attention span of the viewer – fast. By the second act, we’re lectured at length about all kinds of convoluted Japanese folklore that’s too much for kids to follow, let alone adults.

Don’t get me wrong, it all sounds really cool – The Black Samurai, the Scroll of Destiny, the Green Dragon, the Sword of Doom – but coolness quickly gives way to information overload. (It’s as if screenwriter Joe Sichta completed a course on Japanese mythology right before penning his script, and he’s eager to show us what he learned.)

Samurai was so hard to stick with, not even the robot ninjas (that’s right: robot ninjas) could keep our interest.

This movie literally put both of us to sleep before the third act. That gives it the dubious honor of being the only movie besides Valiant that we didn’t finish before providing a review.

And I don’t intend on watching the rest…not even for a Scooby Snack.

Rating: 1.5 stars (out of 5)

What did Dash think?

I don’t know, let me wake him up and ask him. Dash…Dash…?

Will your kids want to watch it?

Possibly…everybody’s tastes are different. In addition to DVD, Samurai is currently running on Cartoon Network. Maybe catch it on TV for free rather than renting or buying the DVD. That way, if nobody in your household likes it, no big deal…though there’ll still be the small manner of 90 minutes of your life you’ll never get back.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Doubtful, even if she has nostalgia for Scooby-Doo. For worthwhile viewing of newer Scooby adventures, have her watch the aforementioned Scooby-Doo and The Loch Ness Monster.

I SAID, not even for a Scooby Snack!!

Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword
* Director: Christopher Berkeley
* Screenwriter: Joe Sichta
* Stars: Frank Welker, Mindy Cohn, Brian Cox, Grey DeLisle, Kelly Hu, Casey Kasem, Kevin Michael Richardson, George Takei
* MPAA Rating: G


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Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006)

A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, I set aside my staunch belief regarding the legacy of Scooby-Doo (that no spinoffs or movies will ever beat the original series) to watch Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster, and I was happily surprised.

So last week, I wanted to see if I could be happily surprised once again, and put on Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! for Dash and I to watch. Was it worth it, or did we feel shanghai'd? Read on…

Plot:
• Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! opens in the Bermuda Triangle as a research ship glides into the notorious waters, only to be attacked by a ship of ghost pirates.
• We then join Scooby and the gang as they go with Fred’s parents on a cruise ship to (where else?) the Bermuda Triangle. It turns out to be a “mystery cruise,” where the crew stages mysteries for the passengers to solve.
• Well, with the gang’s extensive experience in mystery-solving (40 years this September!), they solve all the “mysteries” very quickly, ruining it for the other passengers.
• Soon, Shaggy spots a man floating in the water, and the crew rescues him. It’s Rupert Garcia, survivor of the attacked ship at beginning. Not surprisingly, nobody believes him when he says his boat was destroyed by ghost pirates. In fact, Scooby and the gang think his story is part of another staged mystery by the ship’s crew. They soon find out that it’s all too true, when the pirate ship shows up and its crew of ghost pirates – led by Captain Skunkbeard – take over the cruise ship and kidnap Fred’s parents.
• Scooby and the gang go after Skunkbeard’s ship to rescue Fred’s parents, and also to stop Skunkbeard’s quest for a painting of stars that was aboard Garcia’s boat, which will lead him to “Heaven’s Light” at the center of the Bermuda Triangle, and give him the power to travel through time…or something like that.

Critique:
• The scope of the mystery within Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! is quite ambitious, but falls a bit flat. Like other TV shows that leap to a full-length movie, the film largely feels like an extended episode from the original, classic series.
• SD!PA! does keep a couple of the trademark components of Scooby-Doo intact, including several requisite chase scenes with accompanying “chase music” (here in the form of blaring, pirate-tinged rock tunes).
• Lost from this Scooby movie are a lot of the in-jokes and grown-up references (so prevalent in Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster) aimed at grown-ups who, um, grew up on the original TV show.
• And not to be Cynical Grown-Up, but most adults will figure out who’s behind Captain Skunkbeard way before the end.

In terms of Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!’s watchability: you could do worse, but as Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster shows, you can also do better.

Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5).

What did Dash think?

I figured Scooby-Doo and pirates would be a winning combo for Dash’s attention span, and I was right. Still, he surprised me by actually hanging with the whole film, even when the hour was getting late. His only question: “Why did the pirates want to kill everybody?” I explained they weren’t trying to kill anyone, just scare them. That seemed to satisfy him; either that or he was too tired to debate.

Will your kids like it?

• If they’re not super-selective and don’t have a dedication to (or remembrance of) the original TV series like I do, they will probably enjoy it enough to sit through it – but I highly doubt repeat viewings will occur.
• The Y7 rating for SD!PA! (we caught it on Cartoon Network) seems appropriate – the ghost pirates are a bit creepy, with some of their mean, gnarly faces shot in close-up in the opening sequence. And there is a fair amount of swordplay and cannons blasting, but no injuries or deaths.

Will your FilmMother like it?

Doubtful. She could probably tolerate it if she had to, but I’d tell her to seek out something better for everybody to watch.


Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!
* Director: Chuck Sheetz
* Screenwriters: Margaret M. Dean, Jed Elinoff, Scott Thomas
* Stars: Dan Castellaneta, Mindy Cohn, Tim Conway, Grey DeLisle, Arsenio Hall, Casey Kasem, Edie McClurg, Kathy Najimy, Ron Perlman, Freddy Rodriguez, Frank Welker
* MPAA Rating: G


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Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster (2004)

In the words of our president-elect, let me be clear: There is, and will only ever be, one true incarnation of Scooby-Doo – and that is the original flagship TV series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? All future iterations of Scooby, Shaggy, and the gang – spinoff series, revival series, live-action movies – are chaff to the original series’ wheat. (And the less said about Scrappy-Doo, the better.)

So I set myself up for a heroic dose of self-injected cynicism when I sat down with my 5-year-old son to watch Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster, a direct-to-DVD movie I TiVo’d off Cartoon Network. But for the sake of movie-bonding with my son, and my childhood fascination with the Loch Ness Monster back in Nessie’s heyday of the ’70s, I made the popcorn, served the drinks, and started the show.

Plot: Scooby and the gang go to Scotland to visit Daphne's cousin, Shannon. But when the mythological Loch Ness Monster appears and wreaks havoc at the site for the annual Highlander Games, it's up to the gang to solve the mystery and answer the question that’s baffled mankind for years: Is the Loch Ness Monster real?

There’s always a risk when stretching a 30-minute show to a full-length feature film. But by and large, Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster pulls it off. The plot and action keep moving at a decent clip, there are plenty of shenanigans to keep the kids entertained, and quite a few times I found myself chuckling aloud (mostly at Shaggy’s quips; Mr. “Zoinks!” had quite a few good zingers).

In addition, the film’s Loch Ness Monster stands out in more ways than just its size. It’s impressively ominous, and there seems to have been an added level of attention given to its design and animation.

For the adult viewer, the film makes several nods (and in-jokes) to the original series, including jabs at splitting up and searching for clues, and Fred’s famous plans that never work. The movie also includes a staple of the original series: chase scenes complete with “chase songs,” written for the movie by the appropriately named Thomas Chase. (There are also visual and verbal homages to several classic films and TV shows, including Jaws, Titanic, Jurassic Park, Apollo 13, and The Six Million Dollar Man.)

So yes, regarding my belief that there is no Scooby-Doo anywhere near as good as the original TV series, Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster has silenced the cynic in me. Sort of. For now.

Trivia:
• The voice of Fred was done by Frank Welker, the same (and only) Fred since the original TV series debuted in 1969. That includes this year’s Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King. Nice work if you can get it.
• Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster was nominated for a 2004 Annie Award for Best Home Entertainment Production. (It lost to The Lion King 1½.)
• The Wikipedia page for Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster says the monster bears a striking resemblance to the Giant Behemoth, a creature from the 1959 movie of the same name. Decide for yourself…

The Giant Behemoth trailer:


A scene from Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster:

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids like it?

My son got a big kick out of Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster. Still – and I have no data to back this up – don’t boys and girls both like Scooby-Doo and the gang? If so, I think this movie would appeal to both genders. The fact there’s a giant monster that looks like a dragon/dinosaur hybrid may sway the appeal slightly to the boys’ side, is all I’m sayin’.

Will your FilmMother like it?

I think she’ll appreciate the fact that the filmmakers put enough effort into the story and script to keep both kids and parents entertained…and entertained she shall be.

“When they invent a game that tests eating and sleeping, let us know!”

– Shaggy on the theme of the Highlander Games

Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster
* Directors: Scott Jeralds, Joe Sichta
* Screenwriters: George Doty IV, Ed Scharlach, Mark Turosz
* Stars: Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle, Michael Bell, Jeff Bennett, Sheena Easton
* MPAA Rating: G


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