Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island

I thought this would be a cool sequel to the best Scooby Doo movie ever. I was wrong...so wrong. Just don't bother with it. Just watch Zombie Island

A major disappointment I'm afraid to say. Such a wasted opportunity. I usually love all the Scooby-Doo DTV movies, but Return to Zombie Island did not impress me. You can't help but compare it to the original Zombie Island, which is just brilliant.

This sequel isn't worthy of association in my books. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't go into too much detail, but the supernatural elements are practically discarded. Instead we get a plot that's contrived & boring, and jokes that are hit and miss (mostly miss). Also, the way Velma is written in this movie is an affront to her character. Yes she's a skeptic, but you can be a skeptic without being an insufferable know-it-all.

On the whole, the children will probably enjoy it, but for those of us who grew up with the original, Return to Zombie Island is a wasted attempt to capitalise on the nostalgia of the original movie. If, like me, you love the original Zombie Island, skip this mess.

4/10 - an uninspired and rather bland mystery is a disappointment to the beloved franchise

What better way to get into the Halloween season than with a new entry into the long-running Scooby Doo franchise? This claims to be a sequel to the original Zombie Island film, but it's unique enough that it doesn't require that kids (or adults) watch the 1998 film first or have any knowledge about it. In fact, you could just accept the fact that the gang were on this island before and that many years ago they solved a mystery there....as Mystery Inc. is known to do.

In recent years, Warner Brothers has made strange decisions in redesigning the characters and changing the animation style. However, I'm quite happy that the animation and design of this film is very close to the original Scooby Doo cartoons. Frank Welker, AKA: the original Fred, is back, as is Matthew Lillard who, taking over from the late Casey Kasem and Billy West and has been acting as/voicing Shaggy since 2002.

The plot lures you in with what you think will be a pretty straight forward story, as far as Scooby Doo cartoons go, but then it hits you with something entirely different, which I appreciated. Its very funny, entertaining, good for all ages, but still at 80 minutes it felt a little long. It could have been condensed to an hour. Overall, a pretty good entry in the Scooby Doo brand. I give this film a 6 out of 10.

Pros: -Good animation -A few funny moments -No political correctness, virtue signalling

Cons: -Bad story -Disappointing antagonists -Unnecessarily stretched to make a 80 min movie

Bottom line: Only watch it if you are a Scooby-Doo fan and have some time to spare.