We’re loading up on Spooktober reviews this week! Today we’re taking a look at the beloved animated classic brought to life, Scooby-Doo: The Movie. Look, I grew up watching the animated Scooby-Doo television series with my younger brother and I have very fond memories of the show. I absolutely love the Mystery Gang and that’s why with Halloween around the corner, I decided to rewatch this movie on Netflix for fun. In all honesty, you really have to be in the mood to watch this film because aside from the nostalgia and cast, there’s not much else going for it. Still, it’s a fun and festive Halloween movie so if you’re looking for something innocently “spooky” to watch with your kids, this is it.

When I was little and first watched this movie on YTV or whatever channel this would air on, I honestly do remember feeling a little spooked. It’s not a Scooby-Doo movie without some mystery to solve, and there’s certainly something weird going on at Spooky Island. Naming the island “Spooky Island” though? Come on, that’s a dead giveaway. But anyway, now that I’m a full grown adult, if I had to rate the overall spookiness of Scooby-Doo: The Movie, I’d probably give it a solid 1 – meaning it’s not scary at all. There never really feels like there’s a lot at stake (most likely because of the lighthearted tone of the movie), which honestly works in its favour given that this is a children’s movie.

In all honesty, from a critical standpoint, it’s hard to call Scooby-Doo: The Movie a good, well-executed movie. For a low budget, family friendly movie made in the early 2000s, it’s pretty much what you’d expect. The writing’s cheesy, the acting isn’t too great, and the visuals are lackluster. But for someone who watched this at a young age, I can really appreciate the nostalgia that this movie brings me. No, the CGI isn’t great, but its evidently terrible look is almost endearing and feels reminiscent of those times. I kind of love that it’s obvious this is a movie made quite a while back.

Besides, it’s not all horrible! For the most part, I’m really satisfied with the casting for Scooby-Doo: The Movie and I felt that the actors did a good job with bringing these iconic animated characters to life. With a pretty great cast consisting of Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, and Linda Cardellini as Velma, I don’t have much to complain about. I mean, they all certainly look the part (I especially love Cardellini as Velma) and they really honed in on what makes those characters unique from each other. While the acting leaves a little less to be desired, I know I can’t really ask too much out of a movie like this. As for Scooby-Doo himself, Neil Fanning does decently well at voicing the titular character, providing the right amount of idiotic obliviousness needed.

I guess if I had to describe this movie in one word, I’d go with cheesy. Everything from the plot to the comedy feels a bit cringey, but I guess since it’s aimed at entertaining children, it’s on purpose. If you didn’t grow up watching the classic series or if you’ve never seen this movie before, I have a feeling you won’t be able to appreciate its complete outrageous nonsense.

Despite Scooby-Doo: The Movie having poor writing, direction, and acting, I genuinely still had a pretty fun time rewatching this old 2002 movie. While this movie isn’t some huge revelation or outstanding piece of cinema, it gets the job done and proves to be a humourous and absurd Halloween watch. For that, I’m giving Scooby-Doo: The Movie a 5/10. Even though it’s not a “good” movie, it’s definitely still one that can be enjoyed with the right mindset. I gave it a relatively low score because it’s not a well executed movie, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with it.