Scooby Doo: Legend of the Phantosaur

Scooby Doo: Legend of the Phantosaur has Scoob and the gang going on a relaxing spa getaway when they discover the Phantosaur. A dinosaur come to life to protect buried treasures deep within secret caves below. During this time, Shaggy finds his inner hero after being put under hypnosis...thing is, it puts him and the gang into some awkward circumstances. And that's where the fun begins.

This time around, folks, this original movie(the sixteenth, I believe) I didn't buy. Instead, it was purchased and given to me as a surprise cause they know I love Scoob and the gang so much.

After giving it a watch, all I can say is "Sweeeeeeet!!"...this has to be in my top five of favorite Scoob direct-to-DVD original movies. I do believe those at WB are really starting to get things right with why fans love Scoob so much because the stories just keep getting better and better. Gone are the days of, easily, figuring out the mystery at hand. Anymore, you really have to look for clues in the story along with the gang...and I really like that(Speaking of which, check out Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated if you get the chance-it rocks!).

I love it!

You can already see the movie through amazon streaming. Were buying the DVD soon as it comes out. My daughter loves scooby and this one my wife and I actually liked too. It is very funny.

I've been waiting years to find the classic Scooby, the Scooby from way back in the Where Are You days? I enjoy almost anything to do with Scooby and the gang but some outings are more enjoyable or true to that original doo I grew up on (through saturday morning reruns).

This film felt more like an extended episode of one of the more recent series (What's New or Mystery Inc.). Another reviewer said it right when they noted that the mystery has lately been taking a back seat to other more cliche storypoints. I enjoyed it at first when the films threw in a bit of romance between Freddy and Daphne but now it seems every film one of the gang has a new crush or someone who has a crush on them and it is always stereotypical and goes nowhere. They also toss in more action/adventure to pad the stories to film length, such as a motorcycle chase in this film. On top of that the Mystery has to have several false endings to try and join several ideas together to reach the proper running time.

For me the straight to video releases always made sense when they were marketed for a more mature scooby audience, some will disagree. Zombie Island, Witches Ghost and Alien Invaders were great and enjoyable for most younger viewers and older fans in my opinion, honoring the original series while updating and bringing it to the modern age. They also focused strongly on the mystery aspect with sleuthing being center stage. Kids have the constantly reformatting television series so it would be nice if they tried to use these films for the older audience in terms of quality.

This video is okay and I'm happy to own it but it feels like a step down from the previous entry. Some parents didn't like Camp Scare but I enjoyed the more atmospheric return to the dark and creepy Scooby days. I felt the mystery took a back seat in that entry as well but overlooked it because the atmosphere and story unfolded quite naturally and I thought the films were moving in the right direction. Here I see they have little interest in creating a continuity or ongoing character developments in this latest line of films. At any rate Scooby fans will be happy but this is a rent for most fans and only a buy for purists like myself or parents wanting to entertain the kiddies.

I also wish WB would include some featurettes or something on these releases, even short ones like on Zombie Island or Witches Ghost releases. To end on a positive note, I am a Scooby fan, Matthew Lillard has been doing an excellent job stepping into the role of Shaggy now that Casey Kasem has moved on. The animation has been crisp and clean in these newest films and they look great in high definition. I also appreciate the throughback to the old character designs, very well done.

I hope the next release has less goofiness and more mystery with built in comedy. I'll keep positive about those special features showing up again one day too.

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