A Major Disappointment

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is my favourite Scooby series. Whilst the original SDWAY is irreplaceable, Mystery Inc. is, in my opinion, the strongest entry in the franchise so far. Here's why I think so.As well as staying true to the main essence of the show, with monster-of-the-week episodes, humour, action, and likeable characters, MI introduced an over-arching story/mystery. Handled much more capably than in 13 Ghosts, the over-arching plot here is intriguing to follow and watch unravel as the show progresses. With the ball rolling from the very first episode and spanning the entirety of the 52 episodes, this aspect of the show is without a doubt one of its main strenghts.The characters of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and of course Scooby-Doo, and the journey they take as individuals, and also as friends, is another great aspect of the series. They are fleshed out much more than in early seasons, especially Fred and Daphne, and each member of the gang is given family members who we get to learn more about throughout the show. Also explored are the romantic relationships between Fred and Daphne, and Velma and Shaggy. As someone who is a lifelong Scooby fan, the "Fraphne" relationship is one of my favourite elements of the show and I was so glad for it to finally be explored in depth. Velma and Shaggy's relationship is also developed, and the impact of such on Scooby, but you'll have to watch to see how that pans out.Moving forward, I simply love the art style of this series. It is noticeably darker than say WNSD or BCSD, and I just love it. So much care is taken to form gorgeous backdrops, and the character designs are my favourite for a series since the original SDWAY (retaining their classic outfits, but with a new twist regarding the look of the characters). The animation is near perfect, and is just a pleasure to watch.Lastly, I'll just touch on a few other things. The opening theme is short but sweet. Very catchy and original. I actually like just an instrumental theme, it suits the tone of the show well. The monsters in the show are actually pretty scary, with episodes to match (if you don't believe me just watch "The Creeping Creatures"). Whilst there are no musical chase scenes, the action sequences are just as good. And finally, there are plenty of nods and references to the franchise's long history, e.g. the exhibits in the Crystal Cove Spooky Museum, the character of Vincent Van Ghoul, as well as THE HEX GIRLS!! (Lol), and much more.Overall, I would highly recommend this series to anyone, Scooby fan or not. It is such a great addition to the franchise, and definitely earns the title as one of the best series in the Scooby franchise.

I've always loved Scooby-Doo. They mysteries have been good, and the characters believable. When my father and brothers started watching this show, I was intrigued by the art direction. It's darker, allowing them to reasonably pull off some more mature stuff than they did in the original series. I also liked the way they took a larger mystery and wove it throughout the series, putting pieces of it in each of the other mysteries. The problem I have with this series is that they took the original characters, who had depth and were well-made, and they flattened them, reducing them to a single personality trait. That is no way to go about making your characters. Fred has been reduced to a person who is only obsessed with making traps and doesn't think about anything else. The other characters have been equally reduced to a sliver of their former depth.

Fascinating update of an old series, with nicely stylized contemporary animation stylings, and some real comedy.In the most recent, most innovative re-casting of the Scooby Do phenomenon, Mystery Incorporated, most of the individual stories remain in the classic mode, but with twists concerning the character development of the gang. We won't get into that, but we will note the twist that series as a whole takes.The series is actually constructed around what is now known as a 'story arc,' a meta-narrative tying the individual stories together. And here's where things get a little strange: The meta-narrative at last reveals what appears to be a supernatural phenomenon – the Evil Entity – motivating the series as a whole. Most reviewers seem to agree that this is borrowed from the Cthulu mythos originating in the writings of fantasy cult figure, H. P. Lovecraft. To be honest, I was never able to wade through Lovecraft's dense and florid prose, so I don't know this, but I do know that Lovecraft's cult is fairly large for a writer unknown beyond the genre readership, and has always included many aspiring young fantasy writers.It should be noted that, although I think most readers at least initially read Lovecraft as a fantasy/horror writer, and none seems to deny purely fantasy elements to his texts, there does appear to be a kind of science fiction element to the Cthulu mythos; although the Old Ones appear to us as gods, or demonic forces, they are actually rather long lived aliens, possibly from another dimension or a parallel universe.And, as it so happens, it is revealed in the final scenes concluding the Mystery Incorporated series that the explanation of what the Scooby gang has experienced, and of its final, happy result, is to be found in the 'alternative time-lines' made possible thanks to the contemporary 'multiverse' theory! And who should reveal this, but no less a respected a figure of real-world science fiction than writer Harlan Ellison – yes, himself represented in cartoon form, with his own voice dubbed over it. (Fortunately, he remarks, he himself is such a genius that he has been able to remember all the different time-lines his alternative selves have lived through in their respective universes This willing self-parody is apparently entirely in keeping with his public personality.)We began with a simple detective mystery, searching for empirical clues, and ended up in the realm of theoretical physics, searching for multiverses. Cartoons have indeed come a long way since 1970....

!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!My daughter is a major Scooby fan(she's 3), so we decided to watch the show from start to finish on Netflix. I like the basic mystery storyline, with it's complex twists and turns. The show itself, kept my daughter entertained, while the many different surprises that showed up in the series( the old Mystery Incorporated, Mr.E, the Darrow family, etc) kept me watching as well! I understand that the show isn't supposed to be as it used to be and I have taken that into consideration; however, coming from someone who is young and has a child, some of the themes and things addressed in the series are unnecessary. I believe after watching it that the series would be a lot better for instance, if the drama between Velma, shaggy, and scooby was left out. It doesn't really aid the show in any way, but in my opinion, kind of hinders the mystery element. In addition to that,I would also like to note that the longer the series goes on, the darker and scarier the show gets. By the last episode, I was debating turning it off and not even completing it. The only reason I did was out of pure curiosity. Which led me to this conclusion, in the last few episodes, the old M.I. gang has the planispheric disk and wishes to obtain access to another dimension(I guess you could say) in doing so, they wish to release an evil entity and take over the world, of course, Scooby and the gang wish to stop this. So upon reaching the entity in the 4th element world(fire by the way), the Parrot(Professor Pericles) is consumed by the entity after he releases it. The entity then begins eating(yes, eating) all the people from Crystal Cove, as Scooby and the gang watch. Eventually Scooby and the gang save the day; however, I was unable to move past the whole premise of these episodes. I think it is COMPLETELY inappropriate to market a show for children a feature an evil entity first of all, and then add on to the fact that the entity happens to live in a world of fire that just happens to ironically look like H*ll(the place) and then the entity has the voice that I would say is akin to being demonic.This whole scenario was really really scary, and a very adult like theme, not at all appropriate for a children's show. I was not happy and am actually disappointed with the direction it took. If you have younger children, DO NOT allow them to watch the show all the way to the end. Screen the 2nd seasons last few episodes for yourself before you decide. You won't be sorry!