studioAT After the success of 'The Mystery Begins' it was no surprise to see the cast of that film return for more antics in these prequels to the live action Scooby films of the early 2000's.I think this one is much more of a homage to classic Scooby Doo, from the actors starting to wear much more 'traditional' costumes for their characters, to the inclusion of classic gags and monsters.The Shaggy/Velma love plot won't please everyone but it is well played by the actors who seem much more into their characters this time around.The only sticking point for me is the inclusion of the musical numbers that seem out of place with the rest of the film but that's only a small down side to what is actually a good fun film.

mazdaprobegt My son, who is almost 5, has watched many scooby doo cartoons.A few nights ago, we rented this non-cartoon movie from that box that is red. ;) What a mistake that was... now he refuses to walk into certain parts of our home without holding our hand, even when it's 1pm!!! It's ridiculous. Before your brain starts to go there, my son is not a weenie kid. He enjoys big dogs, playing hide and seek in the dark basement, and roller coasters. Judging by the way he is acting, I doubt he'll like any of these things from now on. Very sad for me - his dad.Don't risk it like I did. If you have young children, I would highly advise passing on this movie!

Martin Hitchings I grew up with the Scooby Doo cartoon and loved it as a kid and when they brought out the first Scooby live action movie; I was dubious. Thing was, I loved it! I also quite enjoyed the second movie although not as much as the first.When it came to the original cast, I had issues with Freddie Prinze Jr as Fred as I felt he wasn't butch enough and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, because she was both a little too short and I had not yet got over my Buffy crush; but Matthew Lillard as Shaggy was, quite simply, awesome.This, unfortunately is where this movie falls down. Though I don't doubt the effort of Nick Palatas as Shaggy and indeed his acting chops (he is a young actor starting out) but following Matthew Lillard's Shaggy was always going to be a tall order. What also doesn't help is having a dark haired Fred in the form of Robbie Amell, I struggled to recognise him as Fred.However, the Daphne (Kate Melton) character I though was excellent and if I could transplant her for Gellar in the first; I would without a second thought.Bottom line, not a great movie but I guarantee your young children will enjoy it. For the rest of us, its a sad reflection.

Kate Cunningham I laughed so hard when I saw this movie, not because the plot itself was particularly funny (it is lighthearted and good for young kids, provided they're not frightened by funny looking frog monsters), but because, having lived in northeastern Ohio most of my life, it was obvious to me that none of it was really true to form. I could believe mutated frog creatures came from Lake Erie (couldn't you? It wasn't suitable for swimming for a while), but let me tell you, the scenery of Southern California is nothing like the scenery around Lake Erie. I could even see a hint of the mountains in the background! The area around Erie is so ridiculously flat, there's no way they could have actually been there. There is a rumor in reality that there is some sort of large sturgeon like creature in the lake, but witches? Not really our thing. Underwater caves? Possible, but I haven't heard of any extensive cave systems. Environmental mistakes aside, moonstones are not sapphire blue. It being a kids movie though, I can let most of that go, and just be amused at yet another reference to the places I grew up. I often wonder if the people who write these things have ever been.As for the plot itself, it was fairly mysterious in Scooby Doo fashion, though I've found that most modern Scooby Doo productions have allowed a little bit of magic to seep into the story, and concentrate way too much on the relationships between the four. I was always under the impression that Fred and Daphne had a thing, though no one really talked about it, and other than that, romance was out of the equation, or had with special characters outside the group. But recently, people keep trying to push Shaggy and Velma together, and (as far as I'm aware) never before this movie and the most recent cartoon series Mystery Incorporated has there even been a hint of attraction between the two. It just seems so... misplaced. And in both productions, the two end up apart for one reason or another, which begs the question, why put them through the awkwardness in the first place?This movie is great for kids as I said, but if you're a Scooby Doo purist, I'm not sure you'll enjoy it.