Taking the bunch all the way back to high school is a smart move, so we can see how each of them had a unique niche in the social ecosystem before teaming up. Scooby-Doo is, of course, a special case, but Fred, Shaggy, Velma, and Daphne all come from different backgrounds and bring individual flair to the team. Casting dark-haired Robbie Amell as Fred is an interesting move, considering the bleached out impersonation that Freddie Prinze, Jr. turned in for the first Scooby-Doo film in 2002. Hayley Kiyoko is a rather liberated and inspired choice to play Velma, considering that few fans probably saw Velma as Asian; she does a classic "good-girl gone bad" costume change that will have tween boys swooning and parents pulling nervously at their collars. All in the spirit of fun, right? Nick Palatas turns in a nice enough Shaggy performance, but it's as much Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure as original-issue Scooby-Doo.
In a twist on the old formula, the Mystery Gang end up together because they've been incriminated in a plot to run kids out of the old high school. Rather than give in, the kids band together and resolve to fight for their good names, solving a mystery in the process. The mystery is loaded with spooks, ghosts, and life-threatening adventure that always seems to come across as funny. There is plenty of good physical humor, and sophomoric fare such as the reprisal of fart-jokes from the first film. What works once (albeit to critical disdain) may work again, but the creators of Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins do seem to find a good midpoint between snarky teen humor prevalent on any live-action show being televised currently, and the hokey humor and action of the old Scooby-Doo series. Fans of both idioms will find something to watch in Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, but the overall product is pretty bland. It feels like a straight-to-video production, especially playing third fiddle to two star-studded theatrical releases that weren't anything to write home about themselves. Recommended for core 'Scooby fans, only.
