All the basic elements of a typical Scooby Mystery are present in this
throwback straight to video release from Hanna Barbera and Warner Bros. Home
Video. A monster is on the loose, the gang rattles around in the Mystery Machine,
Shaggy and Scooby eat things bigger than their heads, Chases, Velma finds clues
that don’t mean anything until after the mystery is solved, someone coaxes
Shaggy and Scooby to do something with Scooby Snacks, and in the end, someone
says “if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids.” If that’s
all you’re expecting, then you’ll really enjoy the latest adventures
of the Scooby Gang in Mexico. If not, you might be disappointed.
The plot follows our favorite “meddling kids,” Fred Velma, Daphne,
Shaggy, and Scooby as they travel to Veracruz for a relaxing Mexican Vacation,
but end up embroiled in an ever-expanding and mystery when El Chupacabra (the
goat-sucker?) starts to attack the town during the “Day of the Dead”
festivities. After doing the regular sight-seeing and touristy stuff during
a musical montage, they finally meet Alejo Otero, Fred’s pen-pal, and
his family at their Mexican Resort, La Villa Bella. They later learn that Diego
Fuentes, Alejo’s late father’s business partner is trying to get
Alejo and his brother Luis to sell their land, which of course they refuse to
do. That night, the gang spots El Chupacabra and jumps into mystery-solving
action! Clues lead them to downtown Veracruz and the Aztec Pyramids where they
are attacked by giant animatronic monsters. Thankfully, they survive the mayhem
with lots of chasing and Mexican pop music montages, and make it back to the
Day of the Dead ceremonies to honor the late Sen~or Otero. Will the gang be
able to solve the mystery, save the Otero’s business and restore the tourists
to Veracruz?
Ultimately, the movie turns out to be about a real estate scam but with a couple
of twists and turns. Scooby and the gang have no trouble getting to the bottom
of the mystery once the villain fouls up by creating a ghost of Senor Otero
that doesn’t look like Senor Otero. It really turns out to be… well,
the villain, but I’m not going to ruin it for you. I will say this, by
the end of the film, order is restored to Veracruz, the Otero’s Resort
is saved, and the criminals are apprehended and sent to jail- no surprise here.
Like I said before, this is not a movie of incredible cinematic quality, rather
a movie you can sit and watch with the kids and not worry about something inappropriate
coming up. Some of the older crowd might enjoy the film in comparison to the
original television show, but will be disappointed by the difference in directing
style. The sight and sound gags reminiscent of the original television series
are overshadowed by the several music montage scenes that seem to be space filler
more than plot driven.
The extras here are pretty good, given the caliber of the movie. “Creating
the Monster” is an interesting behind the scenes documentary on the making
of the movie. Precocious kids will like the feeling that they are being let
in on the “secret” of making movies. "The Monster of Mexico
Scrapbook” is really just a fast recap of the movie and seems redundant.
“Watch the Movie with the Gang” is a commentary track featuring
Fred, Shaggy and Scooby. The idea itself is pretty humorous, but it falls flat.
I can see how kids might think its funny, but I’m not sure if they’d
understand what a commentary track is. The Blooper reel is the piece de resistance
of these extras, actually making me laugh out loud, but mostly at the fact that
they had to manufacture mistakes to create the bloopers. The kids will certainly
like this feature.
The trailers include previews for What’s New Scooby-Doo, The
PowerPuff Girls: Twas the Fight Before Christmas and The Challenge
starring the Olsen Twins. One other preview is included, but doesn’t include
any footage, so I guess it doesn’t really count. The DVD has both English
and French audio tracks (but no Spanish?) and subtitles in all three languages.
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