Scooby-Doo

Zoinks! Like, man, some ghoulish fiend is turning party-hearty spring breakers into straight-laced zombies on the amusement park resort atoll Spooky Island! And for once you'll never guess (well at least not right away) who will be unmasked as the villain in this gleefully goofball live-action version of Scooby-Doo. While this campy comedy ex-cartoon escapade may be edited with a fire axe and aimed mainly at kids, screenwriter James Gunn (a veteran of underground spoof studio Troma Films) and director Raja Gosnell (Big Momma's House) know who the hardcore Scooby fans are: grown-ups who have fond memories of the Saturday morning cartoon about teenage detectives and their bark-talking dog. Scooby is a reasonably good computer-animated creation, and stars Matthew Lillard (stoner Shaggy), Sarah Michelle Gellar (ditzy Daphne) and Linda Cardellini (nerdy Velma) are spot-on. Pity about Freddie Prinze Jr. (the movie's one talent vacuum) as preppie throwback Fred. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include two screen specific commentaries (one by director Raja Gosnell and producers Richard Suckle and Charles Roven; the other by cast members Lillard, Gellar, Prinze and Linda Cardellini); over 13 minutes of additional scenes with optional commentary by Gosnell; a 21-minute "Unmasking the Mystery" documentary; a two-player "Spooky Island Arcade Challenge," the Outkast music video "The Land of a Million Drums" featuring Lillard; and featurettes on set design ("Scary Places"), the famous Mystery, Inc. van, and the choreography of Gellar's fight scene. Bottom line: an impressive extras package for a slacker fave.] (R. Blackwelder)