For even tho there have been a great many animated Scooby-Doo movies both theatrical and not there really have only been a handful of live action Scooby-Doo films and even then only four of them feature Scooby-Doo himself. With the film that i'm about to review for you all today actually being the last live action Scooby-Doo that had Scooby-Doo himself in it and so then join me as I review the film that was filmed by the same guy that shot both the original Halloween and the Back To The Future trilogy with the film in question being called simply just "Scooby-Doo! Curse Of The Lake Monster" enjoy.
The plot of this film is when Daphne and the gang get jobs working for Uncle at his country club they discover that the club is being haunted by a mysterious monster and set out to solve the mystery once and for all. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad but at the same time tho this films plot isn't all that goof as it's a really weak plot at best with the film instead spending more time on the two romantic subplots in the film instead of the main plot which makes this films plot feel more like an afterthought when it should be the other way around but when this film does focus on it's main plot it can be really interesting with the country club location being a really good setting for this film tot have as it's one that really hasn't been done in live action Scooby-Doo media before now and while the films plot doesn't really make the most of that location instead only bringing it up once or twice and that's really it with it not really being helped by the fact that the romance subplots that the film does have don't play that much of a role in the films main plot with it coming across as them only being added to help to fill out the films running time and that's really it with the plot of this film not really being really rather entertaining and nor is it really rather engaging either in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Starring in this film is Robbie Amell as Fred Jones , Hayley Kiyoko as Velma Dinkley and Kate Melton as Daphne Blake. Also starring in this film is Nick Palatas as Norville "Shaggy" Rogers , Ted McGinley as Thornton "Thorny" Blake V , Richard Moll as Elmer Uggins , Nichelle Nichols as The Senator , Marion Ross as Hilda Trowburg , Beverly Sanders as Wanda Grubwort and Frank Welker as The Voice Of Scooby-Doo.
Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad. With alot of this films actors turning in some really good performances which is something that really does make sense as all pf this films main actors are not only returning from the previous film but also turned in some really good performances in that film as well with it being clear as day that this films actors were born to play this version of these truly iconic characters and while it would have been very easy to say that Frank Welker turned in the best performance as he has been playing Scooby-Doo for a little under ten years at this point in time that honor goes to Nick Palatas as Norville "Shaggy" Rogers who does manage to capture the tone and spirit of not only the original character but also oddly enough Matthew Lillard's take on the character as well with even this films newer actors not only turning in some really passable performances in their own right but also managing to hold there own when it comes to acting with the actors who are returning from the previous film as well with the acting that's in this film not really being helped by the fact that this films script is just so bad as it gives none of this films actors absolutely nothing to work with interms of what it is that there respective characters personalities are even meant to be in the first place which is something that really does harm the overall quality of the acting that's in this very film.
Doing the CGI for this film is Animation Picture Company , Custom Film Effects , KNB EFX Group and Special Effects Services. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual CGI that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual CGI that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad but in saying that it was alot more better then what the effects where in the previous movie as Scooby-Doo in this film whilst he still does look pretty he doesn't look have as bad as he did do in that previous film with it being made very crystal clear that there was more of an effort to make it look like that he was actually there on set and while having him look like his original character will always look weird in live action some credit does have go the effects teams for at least trying to make that design look good in this film with it also being made clear that this film had a much more higher effects budget then what the last film but in saying that they do still miss the mark on getting somethings right like the fact that during the opening and third act where Scooby is running across the wooden floor he doesn't cast much of a shadow something that would be the case and the toads don't look all that creepy with them just looking like toads when given the fact that the makers of these films are pretty much adapting things from the original show they could have gone all out with there designs as well.
As was mentioned at the very start of this review this films cinematographer was Dean Cundey who films lovers will also know did the same role for a bunch of other movies including the original Halloween movie , the Back To The Future trilogy and The Flintstones movie. With this film seeing him reteam up with The Flintstones director Brian Levant with it being odd that they got him to film this movie as you wouldn't expect the guy who was the cinematographer for all of these great movies to do this little made for TV movie and while he doesn't turn in a bad job by any means as the film does look very visually stunning but at the same time tho it's also a film that does look cheap which given that these made for TV movies where very cheap to produce does make alot of sense but at the same time tho you don't want the film to look cheap and while Dean Cundey does sneak in some really impressive shots in this film he oddly feels held back by what he can do which is odd because when these two did last team up for The Flintstones they both showed just what they could do and layed it all on the film for us all to see where as here because of the fact that the film did have a small budget they can't really do anything impressive with the camera outside of one or two tracking shots and that's really it and that's not something that works really well for this film with it being obvious that this film is a waste of Dean's talents as even tho Halloween proved that he can make a great film on a tiny budget here none of that is allowed to happen be it because of the fact that the budget or because of the fact that this films director Brain Levant just had no clue what he was doing either way something was holding him back from being as good of a cinematographer that we all know that he could be.
In what is a unique twist of fate this film is to date the final live action Scooby-Doo film to feature Scooby , Fred and Shaggy. As all three of them wouldn't make an appearance or ere even referenced in the 2018 direct to DVD live action Scooby-Doo film Daphne & Velma and after that there has been no other live action Scooby-Doo movies produced which does in a way make sense as you'd have to fully do Scooby in CGI which even for a direct to DVD movie was always going to hard to do but with them not producing quite literally any direct to DVD animated movie for two years now maybe now is the right time to get a live action Scooby-Doo movie made as if there done right then these can be good films as all you need to make them good is a good writer and a good director and that's really it as the rest will work itself out and while yes we are getting a live action Scooby-Doo show for Netflix that is something that could still look bad as there you'd have to spread the effects out over several episodes where as with a movie you can make Scooby-Doo look good in almost every scene that he's in if the movie's budget would allow for it and given that the Mystery Inc team work best when it's all of them and not just certain members of the group it's a wonder why Warner Bros haven't tried to get another live Scooby-Doo movie made as the sales from the direct to DVD movies alone should be more then enough to convince them that this franchise does still have legs but given that they currently hate there animated output maybe that's why we haven't seen anything from Scooby-Doo live action or not since Velma got cancelled.
The one thing that every Scooby-Doo should get right is the one thing that sadly alot of them get wrong and that's tell a genuinely good mystery. This is something that alot of Scooby-Doo films live action or not get wrong and it's something that this film also gets wrong as well as the films puts far to much thought and effort into the love lives of there characters then it does in telling a good mystery with the film not giving us one single clue so that us the audience could work out ourselfs who is really behind this crime and work out what there motive is in the first place this is something that the original show did so brilliantly as they weren't all about holding your hand through every clue they let you work it for yourself by giving you all the clues that you needed all throughout the mystery and that kind of thinking and attitude has sadly been lost with the makers of this film not even bothering to give you a clue or even any suspects for that matter which makes the reveal near the end of the film surprising but for the wrong reasons as while having Velma be revealed to be the bag guy albeit with her being possessed is a good idea and is one that iterations of the franchise have done in the past there was nothing to tell us that they could be a possibility outside of the fact that she wasn't shown at the start of the movie which then it makes really obvious that it's Velma yet if the makers of this film bothered to give us some clues then we the audience could work it out for ourselfs and thus arrive at that point at the same time as the characters themselves do and not have the answer come out of nowhere.
Now then this film has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly one hour and twenty two minuets and twelve seconds. Which to be fair is pretty much the bogstandard running time for the direct to DVD Scooby-Doo films with this film having more then enough plot to cover that amount of running time but at the same time tho this is a film that really doesn't use it's running time all that wisely in the first place as the main mystery plot isn't that fully developed due to the fact that the makers of this film spend more time in developing two pointless romance subplots both of which not only go nowhere but also add nothing to the plot of the film and the film isn't all that interesting in trying to develop it's characters either the film instead choosing just keep them as they were at the end of the first film and that's really it which would be great if you were producing an episodic TV show but for a sequel movie you need to have the character go through some kind of progression and not just keep them the same as they were in the last film and what's worse is the fact that if the makers of this film just removed or cut down upon the two pointless romance subplots and instead gave more time into developing both it's characters both returning and new and the main plot of the film then we'd have a much more better film because of it granted that won't fix all of the films problems but it would go a really long way as without having characters that your invested in and want to see more of then it doesn't matter if they have a romance or not because us the audience just won't care about them and with the added screen time more time can now be devoted into further developing the actual main plot of the film which would then result in us the audience actually getting clues that would help us to work out for ourselfs who the real culprit is in the first place but I really will admit that this film really does have some really good pacing to it tho.
So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty not that bad. As the film does have some cute moments in it that are pretty funny but at the same time tho a shockingly high amount of this films jokes just don't land which given who is directing this film does track with this directors other films with this film having alot of references not only to the franchise as a whole but also to the opening of Scooby-Doo Where Are You with Fred and Daphne using disguises that look like there original character designs and Shaggy mentioning a "friend" that he has called Scrappy which was a decent joke but for every clever reference that the film makes there are also more that feel forced like the fact that the monsters hand tries to grab Daphne from behind the fact that at the end of the film the characters in a rap just straight up break the fourth wall by admitting that they now that there characters and even hold up actual DVD's from the franchises long history which while it was forced with that whole ending song sequenced feeling forced and unneeded it was still pretty cute to see them acknowledge the fact that they know that there characters even if it's done in a badly done rap with the Fred and Daphne using disguises that look like there original character designs being the best joke in this whole entire film in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Overall this was a pretty solid film but at the same time even this film doesn't give Scooby-Doo himself all that much to do outside of having a pointless subplot with him not being Shaggy's friend anymore because Shaggy wants to date Velma which again goes nowhere with all of the pointless subplots being jus the very tip of the ice bergs for all of the things that are wrong with this film but this film is at very least marginally better then then the terrible film that is Daphne & Velma in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very film in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very film really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 4.5 out of 10 from me.
Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images hat I personally used in this very review from the official Back To The Future fandom wiki page , the official Scooby-Doo fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very film that I used in this very review being the really great the official Scooby-Doo fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very film with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official Scooby-Doo fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.
