Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness (2015)

 

A typically fun Scooby mystery that is elevated by its unusual environment. 

Though the Mystery Inc. Gang has met alien's before (both fake and real aliens), the gang space traveling here puts a delightful spin on it that gives this film a fresh feel. Sure them all getting to go on this adventure is far fetched, but this is a franchise with both humanized talking dogs and regular real life dogs co-existing, so I don't have a single problem with far fetched. The space resort is a fantastic environment for a Scooby movie. In a way it feels wonderful and magical but there is something dark and creepy about it that adds to the suspense and mystery. The mystery is definitely an above average one as there are enough suspects and clues for you to figure out the mystery yourself, but not enough to make it too easy. I was worried when I discovered that a rift between Daphne and Velma was going to be a part of this story. I thought that this could easily go wrong and give the movie a mean spirited feel. I was happily surprised to find that this was handled well. Part of this is that both of their reasons for being angry at the other make sense and are relatable. Velma feels insecure and Daphne just wants to be taken seriously. While the arguments get heated, the worst things they say are treated as character flaws and as something the two need to overcome. This lets the argument play out while still giving the film a lighthearted good nature feel. The side characters are very enjoyable. True some of them are mainly there for comedic purposes, but the jokes are funny. In fact there is quite a bit of good humor in this movie. There are even quite a few delightful movie references here.  The monster is perfect being creepy enough to cause real suspense without ever being actually scary.    

If I have a big problem with this movie that would be Fred. His intelligence and usefulness seem to fluctuate throughout the franchise. However this time they fluctuate throughout the movie with him either being stupid or smart depending on what the movie wants from him. Part of the plot is that he annoys the famous astronauts. Yet this is the weakest humor in the film and he annoyed me as well. 

While this may not be the best Scooby movie, it is highly enjoyable and recommended to fans of the franchise. 

-Michael J. Ruhland