Scooby Doo – The Mystery Begins (2009/Warner Blu-ray with DVD & Digital Copy + DVD)

 

Picture: B-/C+     Sound: B-     Extras: C-     Film: C-

 

 

The live action versions of Scooby Doo have been terrible and the casting of Sarah Michele Geller and Freddie Prinze Jr. (not to mention awful writing) has been a formula for disaster.  Diehard fans were not happy and those who made the first release a hit have moved on.  However, Warner knows kids still love the dog and their Warner Premiere division is releasing a prequel called Scooby Doo – The Mystery Beings (2009) to Blu-ray and DVD.  Though not great, it is a slight improvement over the previous turkeys.

 

Made to look as much like the animated versions as the actors who ruined them in the first films, but watching them in action, you can start it imagine how the first films could have worked if they had more likable actors and cared.  Scooby starts in a pet store sale before escaping and making his fateful meeting with the gang.  Nick Palatas is particularly funny and convincing as Shaggy in a way that will also remind you of Archie Comics, Hayley Kiyoko is very good as Velma, Robbie Amell is good as Fred and Kate Melton adds some energy to Daphne.  Frank Walker is still voicing the title character.

 

Brian Levant directed the first live-action Flintstones and is an improvement despite making so many bad films.  When he concentrates, he can handle children’s material just fine.  Too bad that is not enough.

 

All that is not enough to make this too watchable, but it is good enough for young children and though it never seems like it rings true all the time or gels with the vintage shows, it has its moments.  Just don’t expect much.

 

 

The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is a little soft and blurry throughout, in part because of the digital effects and especially digital Scooby which is still too soft for our own good.  Sadly, all versions feature Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes and though sound can be good, it is not what it could be and should have had a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix.  Guess they were afraid to make the first films sound worse than they do.  Extras on the Blu-ray only include trivia track and Digital Copy for PCs and PC portable devices, while both versions include a Music Video, a personality quiz, a Coolsville High School yearbook and making of featurette.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo