A wise woman once said, “Women acting in films rarely make history.” Wait, that’s wrong. “Well-behaved women seldom make genghis”? No, that doesn’t sound quite right either. “Women who act bespectacled rarely lose their glasses”? Whatever the statement, it has never been more true than that of a certain member of Mystery Inc.. Supernatural Mystery Solutions Consisting of Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, Velma, and their beloved dog Scooby-Doo, they’ve been getting into trouble for the better part of the past half century – or, as some might classify it, “interfering.”
Since 1969, the Mystery Inc. She unmasks devious criminals dressed as ghosts. the Scooby Doo franchise He has produced countless TV and movie iterations over the past 54 years, but has rarely changed his primary focus. The franchise has always been most concerned with its two biggest stars, Scooby and Shaggy, and their three white friends who follow them around, yelling at them for eating big comic sandwiches when mysteries are in full swing.
So, when Velma Dinkley’s voiceover introduces her character to viewers in the latest iteration of the franchise, film– Streaming January 12th on HBO Max – Anything’s Right Scooby A fan should rejoice. Finally, someone had the brilliant idea to push a series centered around Mystery Inc’s real ringleader. , which is the smartest and most intelligent. bone memory from the entire group. There’s no disdain for Shaggy and Scooby, but there are only so many Roo-Roh and Scooby Snack jokes one can take in before the eyelid turns to Perma twitch.
While we are all stuck with Prequel-itis These days, film It manages to transcend the inherent footage that comes with the reboot, and make a new and absurd take on Mystery Inc. The show is fast-paced and funny; Even as she dips into a joke that might have been funnier five years ago, there’s another close by. film is the perfect example of how beloved franchises can — and should — adapt over time.
“My name is Velma Dinkley, and this is my origin story,” says the voice of our favorite bespectacled heroine, opening the first episode. As if you’d expect the groans of fans who clung to their favorite childhood intellectual property, film The way pop culture typically presents spin-offs, prequels, and universe expansions quickly spoils it. “if [origin stories] We are About girls, it’s usually like, “What made this hot girl go so crazy?” (she has PearlSize point there!)” This is my story, she recounted for me road. And it starts with a murder, bitch.”
If it wasn’t immediately apparent from Velma’s swearing, this isn’t your grandfather Scooby Doo Watch. Or your father, or your brother, or you. film An adult-oriented subchannel, it capitalizes on the popularity of HBO Max’s ultra-violent, misguided channel Harley Quinn. The series also reconfigures its central cast with some much-needed diversity. Mindy Kaling Vilma voices, now the daughter of Indian parents, one of whom is missing. and Shaggy (now known by his birth name, Norville), is a biracial newspaper nerd voiced by Sam Richardson.
Vilma Turtleneck hung out when it came to solving puzzles. Her mother, Dia, disappeared trying to do the same thing years earlier, and Velma is now haunted by crippling hallucinations every time she thinks of a clue. But the murder of one of the hottest girls at Crystal Cove High School changes all that, and Velma’s inquisitive nature is tempted once again. Besides, it’s not like the city’s bumbling police detectives (a startlingly funny voice pairing of Wanda Sykes and Jane Lynch) – who also happen to be Daphne’s (Constance Wu) adoptive moms – prove to be the most crack tales since Zia’s disappearance.
In a town like Crystal Cove, the murder of a huge busty babe is front page news. It could mean that all of the city’s hottest residents are at risk, causing Fred (Glenn Howerton) to worry about the safety of his beloved Daphne. The serial murders of perfect fellows on Instagram are the catalyst for this filmThe funniest running joke, its titular character has been reduced to an absolute dumpster of a woman who has to wade through a sea of sexual potions to be heard. These gags double as cuts to the history of the franchise, which too often has reduced Velma to a rational, sexless person in a formless jacket as a foil to Daphne’s curvy character and red locks.
As the star of her own story, Velma finally gets the rank. Shaggy has become so obsessed with her that Fred even looks at her with heart eyes after she tricks him into reading female mystery (A book that thinks it will be about whether Jennifer Lawrence or Rebecca Romijn is hotter X-Men mutant). But Velma is really interested in her childhood friend, Daphne, who becomes estranged from her once Daphne gets hot in high school. Yes after hint at it across two seasons Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated And give a movie woman to crush in 2022 Scooby Doo!Velma is finally becoming the quirky icon that many fans have assumed for decades.
film So full of banter and surprisingly small story details that if you look away for too long you will definitely miss something. Some of the punch lines just creep up on you, like Vilma’s assertion, “The only other person who ever found me irreplaceable was the tug-of-war captain.” It will air two episodes a week for five consecutive weeks, but the season works best in a party format, allowing viewers to marvel at all its oddities and humor in a very wide range. Scooby Doo Excellence – not to mention the dazzling animation style. else Scooby The series had more success in a weekly format, with the central mysteries more tense and engaging, but in filmthe overarching mystery of the show takes a backseat to the comical gags.
Filma never goes to extremes Archer The animation track is for adults, and mostly refrains from using the word “fuck,” lest the kids get the remote. But the series’ writers find clever (if unfunny) ways to work around these limitations, such as in one episode that takes place at Crystal Cove’s Fog King festival. get it? The fog king? Keep going.
film It certainly won’t be for everyone, and those who already hate Mindy Kaling’s comedic style won’t find anything particularly different here than in The sexual life of college students or Mindy Projectthat filmCharlie Grundy, co-founder and primary writer of. It’s also not the strongest re-imagining in Scooby franchise to which it still belongs Mystery IncorporatedThe clever balance between truly creepy reference horror and whip-smart plotting.
But more than anything else, film A testament to the prospects to be mined from one of the most iconic franchises of all time. Scooby Doo Always focus on a core group of very strong central characters, and film is the best evidence yet that the titular dog himself need not exist for a good mystery. Now that we’ve got our glasses straight, we can do what we should’ve been doing all along: focus on the brains of the process.
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