Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) Review

 

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)

Monsters Unleashed follows Scooby and the gang once more as they must uncover the mystery behind who’s turning monsters of their past into real monsters and unleashing them on the town of Coolsville. 

Following the smashing success of the first Scooby-Doo, Monsters Unleashed returns Mystery Inc. back to their roots, in more ways than one. Where the first really looked toward new adventures and the future, the sequel takes a step back and focuses on the past, with more real monsters, this time sticking with the tried and true classics however. And in true James Gunn fashion, there’s also a particular emphasis given to each character as well, diving deep into their insecurities and faults, making this one less about the mystery and more about the redemption of characters and their acceptance of who they are within the group. It goes beneath the known surface and allows us to form deeper, more sincere connections with the gang, that feel genuinely earned and incredibly heartwarming by films’ end. 

It’s not all teary eyed though! Somehow we also manage to get even more cartoon-y than before, really hamming it up and blending realism with animated antics (something more live action adaptions should shoot for). There’s also an additional focus on what made the first Scooby-Doo so great and that’s even more Scooby and Shaggy, in all of their hilarious glory. Seeing them, and the rest of the gang interact with legacy monsters like the Black Knight, Tar Monster, Miner 49er, the Skeleton Men, along with so much more, brought a giddy amazement to this lifelong fan. 

Once again, we get another lovely cast, featuring Tim Blake Nelson, Peter Boyle, Alicia Silverstone, Seth Green, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Linda Cardellini, Neil Fanning, and Matthew Lillard. Lillard is undeniably fantastic again, crafting such a perfect and well rounded Shaggy to pair with Fanning’s Scooby. Gellar, Prinze, and Cardellini are also loads of fun, once again, and it was a blast seeing them all together again. 

Monsters Unleashed, directed by Raja Gosnell, obviously isn’t perfect but it succeeds for what it shoots for, bringing back Mystery Inc. for one last round in what is a heartwarming and endlessly fun film that again captures the essence of what makes Scooby-Doo…well, Scooby-Doo!

7.4/10