This movie was fantastically well done. It was actually a lot better than the theatrical films with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Junior. Rather than attempting to make this prequel as cartoon-like as possible, there is an element of realism that was missing from the other attempts. The gang doesn’t spend the entire film in their trademark outfits for one thing. For another, their personality differences are not simply glossed over, but are shown as the reasons for why the foursome aren’t originally friends. Fred is on the football team, Daphne is deep into the drama department, Velma is a budding scientist, and Shaggy doesn’t really fit in anywhere. Solving a mystery is their only way to keep from getting expelled, so the group has their very own “Breakfast Club” inspired journey.

I think what I love most is that even though this movie is an attempt at a reinvention of something millions of people adore for a new audience, it still has a lot of pieces that will appeal to the older audience as well. The question of just why Fred decides who pairs up with who is addressed. There is tension, as well as chemistry, Fred and Daphne, and a little between Fred and Velma. Shaggy invents the Scooby Snack. Daphne even provides the gang with the Mystery Machine when it was still just the van her parents’ gardener uses to haul equipment. There’s also plenty of running from ghosts and funny pratfalls.

The CGI version of Scooby isn’t the best, but I doubt anyone would be able to find a real dog that was enough like the cartoon character to satisfy any viewer. There is also plenty of cheesy dialogue and campy acting, but let’s be honest: you can’t have Scooby Doo without a little bit of cheese. If you’re a casual viewer of the classic cartoons, a long time face, or someone watching for the first time, the movie is absolutely worth checking out.