Review: Scooby-Doo (PG)

I WAS really looking forward to watching this having been an avid Scooby-Doo fan in the distant days of my childhood.

Approaching the film with rose-tinted spectacles, my illusions were shattered within minutes of this, pardon the pun, absolute howler.

I must admit I did wonder beforehand how the simple premise of the much-loved cartoon series would make the transition to the silver screen.

For those who don't know, the basic plot always went something like this: Two young guys (hippie Shaggy and suave Fred) and girls (good-looking Daphne and studious Velma) with the loveable Scooby would investigate a mystery involving either ghosts, monsters or ghouls.

Shaggy and Scoob were perpetual cowards who, when they weren't being scared witless, spent most of their time gorging themselves on outrageous snacks while the other three went about solving things.

Every episode our heroes would wrap up the case and unmask the villain who was usually an old man who was trying to make a fast buck from an evil scheme which involved trying to terrify anyone in sight.

Oh yes. And without fail the bad guy would utter those immortal words: "And I would have got awaywith it if it wasn't for you pesky kids!"

For a kid it was magic and I loved it. To my utter disappointment the film is solely aimed at the ten and under bracket.

I have over the past couple of years taken my nine-year-old step-daughter to see animated films aimed at children such as the excellent Shrek and Ice Age and enjoyed them as much as her because they were so well made and genuinely funny with the adult viewer kept in mind.

This is not. But she still loved it while I loathed it.

The most important critics in this market will be the children themselves and I am sure that the vast majority of them will enjoy it too.

It's just the grown-ups who will suffer with the film's idea of subtle humour coming in the guise of burping and farting jokes.

The plot, if you can call it that, sees the fab five going to the Spooky Island theme park to investigate why holidaymakers are being brainwashed.

It was always going to be hard to pull off a decent movie but director Raja Gosnell doesn't even try which is very sad. Stars like Sarah Michelle Gellar and our own Rowan Atkinson give toe-curling performances; Freddie Prinze Jr is charmless as Fred while even poor Scooby is reduced to a computer graphically animated chump.

Only Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and Linda Cardellini as Velma bring any charisma to this shambles.

* Now showing at Newport's UGC Cinema