Note: This is a re-post of my original Mystery Begins review from 2009.

What brings best friends together? For Daphne, Velma, Fred, Shaggy and Shaggy’s spunky pup Scooby-Doo, it’s a mystery! The feature-length live-action Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins original movie takes you back to when four teenage sleuths (plus one dog detective) first met. Unjustly accused of staging a spooky practical joke complete with ghosts, the kids are suspended from Coolsville High. To clear their names, they team to solve the supernatural mystery…and head straight into nonstop laughs and adventure. Special fun, special friends and extra-special effects make this “how-it-all-began” story – from boy-meets-dog to the first trip in the Mystery Machine and more – a doggone great time!

When I heard they were making a third live action Scooby Doo movie, and that it was going to be Direct To DVD, I couldn’t help but be a bit nervous. Usually Direct To DVD sequels/prequels never turn out good, but thankfully I was proven wrong here. What we got here is a nice retelling of Mystery Inc’s orgins that captures the spirt of the original cartoon.

The casting is pretty good. The film stars  a cast of unknowns, which works to the movie’s advantage. Yeah, Fred isn’t blonde and Nick Palatas is not quite as good as Mathew Lillard, but everyone fits their roles quite nicely. Long time Scooby voice actor Frank Welker also provides the voice of Scooby here.

The special effects are pretty decent too. CGI Scooby looks more like his cartoon self than in the previous movies.

The only issues I had with the Mystery Begins were continuty err0rs{like the gang encountering real ghosts though they don’t encounter them untill much later|. It’s being called a prequel, but the movie feels like a reboot than anything else. But this doesn’t detract from the movie.

Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins offers a nice orgins story for Scooby and the gang and a decent plot. This is highly reccmmened for fans of Scooby Doo and for anyone who liked the first two movies. 4/5

Well, after nine years of waiting, we’ve finally gotten a new Scooby holiday special. Was it worth the wait? For the most part, yes. I wouldn’t say Haunted Holidays as good as the previous DTV special, Spooky Games, but it’s definitely a lot of fun.

The Plot: Scooby and the gang are helping with a parade at a local toy store when a snowman attacks threatening to shut down the toy store for good!

I was a bit worried Haunted Holidays wouldn’t have much new to offer, considering they were using a snowman as the villain again. But in the the end, I enjoyed it quite a lot. Haunted Holidays offered just the right amount of classic Scooby mystery solving, gags, and good old Christmas fun to keep me entertained. The Sinister Snowman turned out to be a pretty cool villain actually. Unlike the snowman in “A Scooby-Doo Christmas“, this snow beast can shape shift. One of the coolest moments of the episode is when The Sinister Snowman transforms into a giant ice spider and chases Shaggy and Scooby.

And of course, Haunted Holidays offers all the standard Scooby Doo tropes. Monster attacks, gang investigates, Shaggy and Scooby get chased, and the villain gets unmasked in the end. In fact, it’s all very predictable. While that usually would be a negative for me, I think the simplicity of it is why this episode worked for me. It reminded me of classic Scooby, sometimes more than something like What’s New Scooby-Doo ever did.

The DVD: “13 Spooky Tales: Holiday Chills and Thrills” offers twelve other episodes along with Haunted Holidays. Most of these episodes have been released before. Tenderbigfoot, Snow Job Too Small, and Rocky Mountain Yiii! are all new to DVD. But outside of that, there’s the very good chance that you own these episodes already. Even so, I would recommend getting this just for Haunted Holidays and the few unreleased episodes even though it doesn’t seem like a lot.

The Verdict: No, Haunted Holidays is not the best Scooby-Doo episode ever made. But it is a lot of fun and is certainly better than some of the recent DTV movies. And while the DVD may not offer much new content, but it’s worth picking up for the right price. 8/10.

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I have a confession to make. I have not seen a single episode of the original Dynomutt series. I do think, however, that Dynomutt is something that should be revived. With all the superhero movies coming out today, I think it would work as a nice spoof of modern day superheroes. Mask Of The Blue Falcon kinda offers that. It certainly is a step up from the previous few DTVs.

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Get set for superhero hi-jinks and adventure in Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon as Scooby-Doo! and the gang go head-to-head with a super villain they thought only existed on TV! Scooby-Doo! and his pals make big plans to attend a popular comic book convention. No one however, is more excited than Scooby-Doo! and Shaggy because they get to be part of a big premiere of a brand-new movie that’s based on their favorite superhero, Blue Falcon. Fiction becomes reality however when the hideous Mr. Hyde, a monstrous super villain from the classic Blue Falcon television series comes to life and terrorizes everyone at the convention.

Ok, so Mask Of The Blue Falcon wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was expecting Dynomutt and Blue Falcon to actually be IN the movie. That being said, I had a lot of fun with this movie. Maybe it’s because I’m such a big superhero nerd that I loved this one so much. I loved the whole take on the studio turning Blue Falcon into a dark hero for modern day audiences, not to mention the references to other superhero stuff{my favorite being to Amazing Spider-man #50}. It’s nice to see that they went for a classic Dynomutt villain instead of inventing a new one. Daphne being obsessed with Little Fuzzies was pretty hilarious. It did strike me a bit odd that Velma was so negative towards the whole Comic Con scene. After all, she is a bit of a nerd{a tech nerd and a bookworm, but still a nerd nonetheless}.

One thing I did not like was the whole Shaggy and Scooby making fools out of themselves and being discredited. We’ve seen this type of plot line before in Scooby. But here it rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. The twist with the villain at the end was nice, but it was rather predictable.

The Verdict: After the disappointment of recent Scooby movies, it’s nice to see a fresh and fun adventure for Scooby and the gang. Hopefully this movie will lead to more Dynomutt in the future. 4/5.

Rating: 5/10

I always wanted to see a Scooby musical. I know there are people out there who think it’s a terrible idea. But if done correctly, I think a Scooby musical could fun. Unfortunately, Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire fails to sparkle, with a average plot and average music.

Being overworked and over terrorized, Scoob and the gang decide to take a vacation. Velma takes them to a vampire festival in a small town called Chauve Sourie Ville. Here we are introduced to our usual suspects. The greedy Lita Rutland, the festival organizer, who says that business is on the downslide and that the festival is losing money. Jesper Poubelle, a anti-vampire protester. And finally the gang’s host, Vincent Van Helsing, who runs a vampire museum and is also a aspiring author. Van Helsing shows the gang his museum, including the tomb of vampire Valdronya.

Later that night, Van Helsing and the gang are watching Fangenschanz, a troupe of vampire actors. Fangenschanz performs a vampire resurrection chant, but things go haywire as the chant works and the body of Vadronya comes to life.

The gang go off and do their normal thing. When Daphne decides to question Fangenschanz, she ends up being kidnapped by them to become the vampire’s queen.

The gang rushes into the Louisiana swamps to stop the marriage and save Daphne. In the end, Scooby and the gang save the day and capture Valdronya. Valdronya ends up being Van Helsing, who used the vampire legend to sell more books. He also duped Fangenschanz into helping him by promising immortality. The movie ends with Scooby and the gang singing off into the wind.

I think the most disappointing thing about Music of the Vampire is the music. “Done With Monsters” is probably the best of the bunch, along with “Scooby and Me”, a nice little song between Shaggy and Scooby. “Bayou Breeze” is a uninspiring opening number.

And then there’s the vampire angle. Let’s be honest, vampires has been done to death in recent years. So it’s kinda disappointing they went the vampire route again. I guess they were doing what they did with Abraracbra Doo and trying to pull in the Harry Potter crowd(or the Twilight crowd in this instance). It certainly doesn’t help the fact that Music of the Vampire has a weak script. I found myself not caring about the plot or any of the characters. Admittedly, there were a few good jokes here and there(mostly thrown at Twilight) but everything else just fell flat for me.

If they ever do another Scooby-Doo musical, I hope they put a little more effort into it. Music of the Vampire could have been something great, but instead it was a boring movie with weak music.

A relaxing spa getaway evolves into a prehistoric panic when Scooby-Doo and the gang uncover the horrible Phantosaur, an ancient legend come to life to protect hidden treasures buried in secret desert caves. But this scare-a-saurus doesn’t stand a chance with Shaggy(voiced by Matthew Lillard of the live-action Scooby-Doo theatrical movies) around, after he finds his inner hero with the help of new-age hypnosis. Like, it makes him more brave and less hungry!

The Movie:

Third movies have a lot to live up to. I refer to Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur as a thrid movie because the previous two, I feel, is when the Scooby DTV’s started becoming good again. Phantosaur feels like the Return of the Jedi of Scooby Doo movies. It’s good, but is a step down from its predecessors.

As for the story, it’s your typical Scooby Doo plot. Over the top villian. Your usual array of suspects. Shaggy and/or Scooby overcoming their fears. Velma falling in love with one of the main culprits{Where have I seen that before? Hmm…}. Overall, it’s pretty decent, but not the best Scooby has to offer. It was a fun movie, but honestly, I had more fun watching Camp Scare and Abracadabra-Doo. I also think the movie drags a bit, mainly due to the misdirection of the main villians.

I also didn’t think the music was as great as Camp Scare or Abracadabra-Doo. Those two had at least one song that I really liked. But nothing in this movie really impressed me music wise.

On a smaller note, the Scooby movieverse seems to be merging with SD:MI a bit. Fred has his compulsive obsession with traps{though not as bad here}. They even re-use music from the show.

The best part of Phantosaur, though, is the comedy. Shaggy having to “go on vacation” because he gets too scared and then being hypnotized into being brave was pretty funny. My favorite part was probably when Shaggy manages to take down a whole gang of biker dudes. And then there’s Shaggy learning how to ride a motorcycle. Another really funny scene is Scooby getting high on coffee.

There’s also the animation. There’s not much more to say than what I’ve said in previous reviews, other than it’s still fantastic. Especially the “retro” animation in the opening credits.

The Blu-ray:

Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur arrives in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The only feature here is a “Searching For Phantosaurs” featurette starring Nick Palatas of Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins. Kids will probably like this, but older fans like myself will most likely skip it.

The Blu-ray also comes with a digital copy.

Overall, a good movie, but could be better. The mystery drags on for a bit too long, and the music is pretty weak. But the comedy makes up for it. And the animation is still pretty slick.  Recommened!

• The Movie: 3/5
• The Blu-ray 3.5/5
• Overall: 3/5

Trouble is admist in Crystal Cove when the crystal doorknobs start disappearing off the town’s buildings. And to top it off, a Ghost Trucker is scaring people off. Meanwhile, Dahpne’s parents try to find here a “new” boyfriend.

While it’s not perfect, this episode is entertaining. The Ghost Trucker is such a ridiculous and wacky villian, it totally works. I also love how zany and crazy Fred’s’ trap gets in this episode. And while, the creepy tone from the last episode isn’t here, there are some good suspensful moments in this episode.

I did think the villian stealing the doorknobs just to find one little diamand was kinda stupid. Surely, there is a easier way? And I wish Mr. E hadn’t helped the gang in solving the mystery this early on, but that’s only a minor nitpick.

I’ll be honest. I’ve never been a huge fan of “dumb” Fred. But it’s nice to see him doing some real detective work here.

The subplot involving Daphne was humorous, but of course, we knew how that would end.

Overall, a entertaining episode. Unlike episode 2, I only had some minor issues with this episode. 3.5/5.

Following up on a clue from Mr. E, the gang investigates the town of Gatorsberg. But when the engine from the Mystery Machine goes missing, they are forced to stay in a creepy hotal haunted by three gator men.

OK, as far as second episodes of series go, “The Creeping Creatures” is pretty good, but is far from my favorite episode of the series for a few reasons. This episode got a lot of things right. But there were one or two issues that brought this episode down for me. But first, the positive. I think they really got the tone right in this episode. Creepy and dark, but maybe not too creepy and dark. In fact, this is what I’d imagine the original series would be if it were made today. This episode is also one of the episodes where I think they got the perfect blend of that creepy tone and the humor. There is some hilarious lines in here.

And thankfully, The Velma/Shaggy relationship is still tolerable here. Velma hasn’t become a control freak yet.

My one major gripe with this episode is that the villians were too obvious. Yeah, I know Scooby Doo villians are kinda easy to figure out, but this was too obvious even for Scooby.

A couple other random thoughts:

I find it kinda funny that the parents all came up with random excuses for why they couldn’t pick up their kids in the a creepy town in the middle of the night. Score one for bad parenting!

How did Mr. E get the engine out of the Mystery Machine so fast? My theory is that he had it replaced with the Mystery Machine double from episode 25, and when the gang solved the mystery, he switched it back to the real one.

Overall, a good episode, but certainly not the best episode of the series. 3/5.

Just finished watching tonight’s episode of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Inc. This is one I’ve been waiting for for quite awhile. I’ve been waiting for Van Ghoul to show up ever since he was mentioned in the first episode. That being said, this was a pretty good episode. Basically, Shaggy and Scooby win a contest to have dinner with Vincent Van Ghoul, but turns out to be a trick for Van Ghoul’s new reality show. But a creature called Nightfright is ruining Van Ghoul’s fun. The idea of Van Ghoul having a reality show is really funny. I wasn’t too impressed with the guy under the mask, but Nightfright is a cool villian. It’s also nice to see the old Velma here when she find a way into the house. A Velma that’s more smart than “oh, he dumped me for a dog”.

The guy they got to voice Van Ghoul in this show does a great job. He doesn’t sound exactly like Vincent Price, but he’s close{I believe he has done Vincent Price in other shows before. My only problem with Van Ghoul here, is that they turned him into a bit of a wimp. I’m not too bothered by it, because it is kinda funny. But there were one too many tinkle jokes for my taste.

Overall, a pretty fun episode. I do hope they use Van Ghoul in a episode again, because he is one of my favorite Scooby characters. 8/10.

Orc bikers. Video game nerds. One very average episode of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Inc.

The Plot: All you really need to know is, Fred invites the rest of the gang on his his and Daphne’s date. Daphne gets angry, and then falls for a gang of orc bikers who are being framed for a robbery, eventually leading to the gang having to catch the real culprit.

Yeah, so this is one of those types of episodes where the more I watch it, the more I dislike it. “The Wild Brood” isn’t a bad episode, it’s just very average, and there were too many things bringing this episode down for me to really like it. For one, I know Daphne is upset over the whole date thing, but would she and Velma really go off with some creppy biker dudes they just met? Seemed rather strange. And then there’s the fact that the gang seemed especally stupid in this episode. I find it a bit of a stretch that they don’t even know what a swordfish is.

My biggest problem with this episode was the whole motivation. The Wild Brood are really a bunch of tech nerds who are following a train to protect their new video game console. One of their own tries to steal this new game console, and it’s up to the gang to stop him. OK, I’m a gamer and a geek as much as the next guy, but to go through so much trouble just for a silly video game console seemed stupid to me.

Of course, this episode wasn’t all bad. We do get a nice moment between Velma and Scooby{even if she forgets it by next episode}. And I know some people had issues with the scene in Daphne’s bedroom. Honestly, I didn’t think it was that bad. I think her in her bikini was worse. And Closet Sheriff is hilarious.

Oh yeah, and there’s “SHE DIGS ME! SHE DIGS ME!”

Am I being too nitpicky about this episode? Probably. Unfortunately, I found it hard to look past some of the issues in this episode. 6/10.

Another week. Another episode of Scooby. I was really looking forward to this episode. Scooby meets the Scooby clones done in the style of classic Scooby. Sounds like a great idea. And it paid off really well.

Now I have to confess, I’ve never watched any of the “Scooby Clones”. Kinda past my time, and I never saw them on Cartoon Network. That being said, Having these shows cross over was great. The interaction between the “sidekicks” was hilarious, especially Funky Phantom and Speed Buggy.

Funky Phantom being the villian was hilorious, though I’d imagine Funky Phantom fans are kinda pissed.

The animation looks just like old Scooby. They did a really good job capturing the look of the old series.

I do have a couple minor complaints. One being “Lord Infernicus” is a Ghost Rider knock off{though not a big deal since he’s a awasome villian}. Second: It would had been nice if the other members of the gangs to have a bigger role in the episode.

Oh yeah, how do you give CPR to a car???

Overall, a fantastic episode, and one the best episodes of the series yet. 9/10

 Mystery Solvers Club State Finals Image Gallery