What is it about "Scooby-Doo" that raises critics' hackles? The same reviewers who find sedimentary layers of meaning in "Lord of the Rings" are the first to lay into a live version of a piffling kids' cartoon. As for me, an ounce of Matthew Lillard's Shaggy is worth a pound of Mike Myers' Cat in the Hat. **
The really odd thing is that "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" is a noticeable improvement over the first movie--relatively speaking, of course. In the first "SD," only Lillard seemed to be having a lot of fun. In "SD2," the rest of the starring quartet--Linda Cardellini (Velma), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Fred), and Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne)--have loosened up considerably. **
And director Raja Gosnell has earned his props. There's an infinite number of shots where wacko winged creatures fly off with flesh-and-blood humans. How Gosnell can even keep track of all this stuff is beyond me. If the "Scooby-Doo" cartoons had been done on such an elaborate scale, maybe they wouldn't have been so razzed-on to start with. **
The wispy plot is that a "Monster Machine" has brought to life all of the freakazoids that the Mystery Inc. gang had previously put to rest. Even thinner subplots involve a love interest for Velma ("Austin Powers" vet Seth Green), and Scooby and Shaggy's efforts to prove that they're "real" detectives and not just food-driven goofballs. Needless to say, monsters are sufficiently conquered, and everyone finds his inner Doo. **
If anything, "SD2" suffers from a sense of false modesty. Indeed, the most unintentionally funny part is when Velma and Daphne assure each other that they're not "hot." This, despite Gellar showing off as much leg as a PG rating will allow, and a scene with Cardellini in a red leather outfit so tight that it squeaks when she walks. **
Besides the "regulars," Green and Peter Boyle seem to be having great fun. The only sour note, naturally, comes from Alicia Silverstone as a smarmy reporter. **
At the very least, "Scooby-Doo 2" fits the logic of a movie week where Jim Carrey is trying to prove how sensitive he can be. **
"Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" is rated PG for cartoon-style violence and peril, and the inevitable passing-gas joke.
The really odd thing is that "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" is a noticeable improvement over the first movie--relatively speaking, of course. In the first "SD," only Lillard seemed to be having a lot of fun. In "SD2," the rest of the starring quartet--Linda Cardellini (Velma), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Fred), and Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne)--have loosened up considerably. **
And director Raja Gosnell has earned his props. There's an infinite number of shots where wacko winged creatures fly off with flesh-and-blood humans. How Gosnell can even keep track of all this stuff is beyond me. If the "Scooby-Doo" cartoons had been done on such an elaborate scale, maybe they wouldn't have been so razzed-on to start with. **
The wispy plot is that a "Monster Machine" has brought to life all of the freakazoids that the Mystery Inc. gang had previously put to rest. Even thinner subplots involve a love interest for Velma ("Austin Powers" vet Seth Green), and Scooby and Shaggy's efforts to prove that they're "real" detectives and not just food-driven goofballs. Needless to say, monsters are sufficiently conquered, and everyone finds his inner Doo. **
If anything, "SD2" suffers from a sense of false modesty. Indeed, the most unintentionally funny part is when Velma and Daphne assure each other that they're not "hot." This, despite Gellar showing off as much leg as a PG rating will allow, and a scene with Cardellini in a red leather outfit so tight that it squeaks when she walks. **
Besides the "regulars," Green and Peter Boyle seem to be having great fun. The only sour note, naturally, comes from Alicia Silverstone as a smarmy reporter. **
At the very least, "Scooby-Doo 2" fits the logic of a movie week where Jim Carrey is trying to prove how sensitive he can be. **
"Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" is rated PG for cartoon-style violence and peril, and the inevitable passing-gas joke.