Naturally I'd see Scooby Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon because from a very early age I've loved Scooby Doo(still do as well). I've enjoyed most of the movies, though none are quite as good as Scooby Doo Where Are You?, The Scooby Doo Show and The New Scooby Doo Movies, at the same time on the other side of the spectrum all are a thousand times better than Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue! The best for me are Witch's Ghost, Big Top Scooby Doo, Goblin King and Zombie Island, Monster of Mexico is the only one I didn't care too much for. Post-Goblin King, the movies have been consistent in quality ranging from decent to great, Music of the Vampire being the weakest and Big Top Scooby Doo! being the best.
Scooby Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon is really impressive, one of the better Scooby Doo movies in my opinion if not my personal favourite. The only real let-downs for me were that Velma came across as too much of a jerk to me, rather out of character for Velma. And Mindy Cohn doesn't bring out enough of that resourceful and likable personality of Velma's, some of her delivery was a little too sarcastic for my tastes. Some people may be disappointed considering that this is the Blue Falcon of how little of Dynomutt there is except in reference, a brief glimpse in the opening credits sequence and when Shaggy and Scooby are watching an episode in the Mystery Machine.
However, I really liked the animation style. There is a lot of the What's New Scooby Doo? and Mystery Incoporated styles- mostly in the character designs- but also some of the classic feel of Scooby Doo Where Are You? The backgrounds are fluid and detailed and the colours colourful and haunting. The character designs are more than convincing too, Fred was closer to the classic Scooby Doo Fred than the Mystery Incorporated Fred, which I did like very much and prefer. The comic style opening credits sequence is very cool, any comic book or Scooby Doo fans will love them. The soundtrack is also a success, managing to be catchy and atmosphere-enhancing.
There is also some great writing, in terms of humour and whatnot it has a pleasing mix of classic Scooby Doo and the Scooby Doo of the past 15 years or so. The mystery and story are just great, nothing too goofy and nothing too scary either even with the balance of suspenseful and humorous moments. The perpetrator I did guess twenty minutes before the end, but the twist and how the mystery was solved was more than satisfying. Shaggy and Scooby have a very likable chemistry, almost as affecting as it was in Big Top, while the message is a very nice one and similarly written in.
As for the characters, apart from Velma they are true to character and have strong personalities. Shaggy and Scooby are particularly true to this, I liked how the film spoofed- in a sense- Adam West and the 1966 Batman show(which I am very fond of) and there is a great villain, scarily antagonistic and with a good motivation. The voice acting is excellent, Matthew Lillard as I've mentioned many times before does bring a lot of charm and likability to Shaggy, a character that had big shoes to fill. Frank Welker is great as Fred, and his Scooby voice is growing on me all the time. Grey DeIsle likewise as a Daphne that has a little more steel than in the older shows.
Jeff Bennett is every inch the bitter and somewhat vengeful faded television star, while Dietrich Bader is hip and cool and John Di Maggio brings a really sinister edge to the villain of the piece. The mayor looks and sounds almost identical to the one from the original Dynomutt show, and Kevin Michael Richardson brings his distinctive voice to the character with no problem. Everybody else fill their characters very well. All in all, really impressive indeed, while not up there with the very best Scooby Doo movies it is towards the top.
8/10 Bethany Cox
Scooby Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon is really impressive, one of the better Scooby Doo movies in my opinion if not my personal favourite. The only real let-downs for me were that Velma came across as too much of a jerk to me, rather out of character for Velma. And Mindy Cohn doesn't bring out enough of that resourceful and likable personality of Velma's, some of her delivery was a little too sarcastic for my tastes. Some people may be disappointed considering that this is the Blue Falcon of how little of Dynomutt there is except in reference, a brief glimpse in the opening credits sequence and when Shaggy and Scooby are watching an episode in the Mystery Machine.
However, I really liked the animation style. There is a lot of the What's New Scooby Doo? and Mystery Incoporated styles- mostly in the character designs- but also some of the classic feel of Scooby Doo Where Are You? The backgrounds are fluid and detailed and the colours colourful and haunting. The character designs are more than convincing too, Fred was closer to the classic Scooby Doo Fred than the Mystery Incorporated Fred, which I did like very much and prefer. The comic style opening credits sequence is very cool, any comic book or Scooby Doo fans will love them. The soundtrack is also a success, managing to be catchy and atmosphere-enhancing.
There is also some great writing, in terms of humour and whatnot it has a pleasing mix of classic Scooby Doo and the Scooby Doo of the past 15 years or so. The mystery and story are just great, nothing too goofy and nothing too scary either even with the balance of suspenseful and humorous moments. The perpetrator I did guess twenty minutes before the end, but the twist and how the mystery was solved was more than satisfying. Shaggy and Scooby have a very likable chemistry, almost as affecting as it was in Big Top, while the message is a very nice one and similarly written in.
As for the characters, apart from Velma they are true to character and have strong personalities. Shaggy and Scooby are particularly true to this, I liked how the film spoofed- in a sense- Adam West and the 1966 Batman show(which I am very fond of) and there is a great villain, scarily antagonistic and with a good motivation. The voice acting is excellent, Matthew Lillard as I've mentioned many times before does bring a lot of charm and likability to Shaggy, a character that had big shoes to fill. Frank Welker is great as Fred, and his Scooby voice is growing on me all the time. Grey DeIsle likewise as a Daphne that has a little more steel than in the older shows.
Jeff Bennett is every inch the bitter and somewhat vengeful faded television star, while Dietrich Bader is hip and cool and John Di Maggio brings a really sinister edge to the villain of the piece. The mayor looks and sounds almost identical to the one from the original Dynomutt show, and Kevin Michael Richardson brings his distinctive voice to the character with no problem. Everybody else fill their characters very well. All in all, really impressive indeed, while not up there with the very best Scooby Doo movies it is towards the top.
8/10 Bethany Cox
