Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

It is slightly better than the first movie. However, it falls victim to the exact same problems, it tries too had to be a cartoon and, as a result, fails to be a live action movie. It tries too hard to be a cartoon that it forgets where the humor behind Scooby Doo comes from. And it plummets to the annoying just as fast as the first movie did. Like the first one, it transforms itself into a monstrous Scrappy Doo guaranteed to be hated by fans for just as long.

The original Scooby Doo was bad. It couldn't decide if it was a straight live action version or a parody of Scooby Doo. That movie had an obnoxious tone to it. The sequel, however, is better. The action seems to be moving faster than the original. There are no fewer than three of the famous foot chases that Scooby Doo is famous for. The movie doesn't make a lot of sense, but it is going too fast for anybody to notice. The actors seem more comfortable in their roles this time around, especially Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Fred. Prinze was incredibly smug in the first movie. This time he seems to have dialed it down more. The actors are performing more as a team this time. These are people who like each other in this movie and not as five individuals. This is not a great movie, with unnecessary amounts of grotesque humor. Alicia Silverstone is wasted in a minor role. Overall, get a free ticket if you can to see in a theatre or rent it on video. 6/10

While it lacks the the unique charm of it's predecessor, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is still a great sequel that's really fun whilst also being a more traditional Scooby-Doo film. Matthew Lilllard, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini and Freddy Prinze Jr. are all once again perfect and Seth Green is great. The CG is slightly better than it's predecessor but still weak. Raja Gosnell's direction is really good, it's well filmed and extremely well paced. The soundtrack is also really good and the music by David Newman is good.