If it's a paper thin premise spread over an impossibly long running time,
then it must be either Lord of the Rings . . .
or yoinks! . . . a made-for-TV full-length Scooby-Doo motion picture.
Of course I use ?full-length? in only the loosest of terms. Here it means
a whole 70 minutes - well under the standard 90 minutes or so of most
feature films. The plot steals straight from Tron:
the Scooby gang checks up on old friend who have used them and their
adventures as a template for a virtual reality computer game. However,
someone has somehow managed to bring a ?computer virus? into the real
world and the gang decides to investigate.
Soon, they are sucked into this virtual reality world themselves and they
have to survive the game's various levels by tracking down a box of snacks
in each one. In the process they get chased around a lot (so what else is
new?) by dinosaurs, skeleton gladiators, monsters, etc. Finally there is
some post-modern fun as they get to meet their game counterparts - whom
are exactly the same as they looked like in the original 1970s TV show.
THE DISC: The extra material is pretty much the same as in
Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders: a brief
?making of? feature looking at the voice talents involved and a music
video. Oh, and a ?Virtual Detective? game that might keep the kids
occupied for a few minutes or so.
By the way, the animation is better than most Saturday morning toons and
the image transfer looks stunning.
WORTH IT? Aimed at kids between three and 12, caution should
however be exercised. To be honest I think some bits may be too scary for
very small children and even though I bought it for my toddler daughter I
won't be popping it into the DVD player until she's a bit older.
Can you watch it with your kids? About once I'd think . . .
RECOMMENDATION: Watch it beforehand before deciding whether it's
suitable for your very
small children.
