2023 Just Another Film Blog Awards

It’s once again time for the Oscars. In 2019 I decided to start my own film awards the JAFB Awards and I received an overwhelming response! So, I am very happy to share with you the winners of The JABF Awards 2023. You should probably know that I my issue with the Oscars is their lack of diversity not just in gender, race and background but in genre - I give awards to the films I enjoyed over the past year, most of which are popular movies.  2023 was a huge year for film, the first year post covid where all films scheduled to release at the cinema did so. It was a huge year for franchises and superhero movies however this success is not reflected in the Oscar nominations - not that I'm surprised. Diversity wise the Oscars is making no huge moves to change, with most nominations and awards going to white males in general - the majority of the best picture nominations feature male leads and no female directors have been nominated. The Oscars year on year highlight the lack of equalit

Scoob! Review

The Cinema's may be shut right across the world right now, but that does not mean there is nothing new for us to watch. Over the weekend Scoob! was released for home viewing, sadly Scoob! was not able to have a cinematic release but that does not mean we cannot enjoy it from home. Scoob! was one of my most anticipated movies of 2020 so I of course had to watch it! I loved Scooby-Doo as child so I couldn't wait to re-join the mystery solving gang.  Please let me know in the comments if you have watched any straight to home release movies over the past few weeks! This will only be a short review, but I hope you enjoy it!
Scoob! opens on a very lonely young Shaggy (Iain Armitage) who meets a stray dog, Shaggy in need of a friend takes the dog, calling him Scooby Dooby Doo (Frank Welker). The pair quickly become best friends and go Trick or Treating where they meet Fred (Pierce Gagnon), Daphne (McKenna Grace) and Velma (Ariana Greenblatt), and together they take down their first ghost. Fast forward and we join a fully grown up gang trying to secure investment so they can solve more mysteries. They meet with Simon Cowell (Simon Cowell) who sees potential in Fred (Zac Efron), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried) and Velma (Gina Rodriguez) but fails to see what Shaggy (Will Forte) and Scooby bring to the team. Shaggy and Scooby leave the meeting disheartened only to be attacked by robots and abducted by the superhero Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg). The film would not be complete without a villain and instead of giving us a well-known Scooby-Doo villain we get a Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs) from Wacky Races. Narrative wise Scoob! is entertaining and fun, the only complaint I do have is that the gang spend a lot of time separated. 
It takes a little time to adjust to the new voice cast and some shine more than others such as Zach Efron's Fred. One character however steals the show, Dick Dastardly is brilliant, I don't know if I loved him so much because I loved Wacky Races as a child but his whole story arc is brilliant I wanted him to succeed because I wanted to see Muttley (Billy West). However, this does raise an issue, Scoob! is meant to be a Scooby-Doo movie but it's actually a strange mix of Scooby-Doo, Wacky Races and Captain Caveman and the Teen Angles. The most Scooby-Doo moments happen during the opening title sequence and in the end credits, which is a shame, but the movie is still enjoyable. What makes Scoob! an enjoyable watch is the emotion that's conveyed throughout, from loneliness, to happiness, fear and even anxiety. The emotional range of the characters is what makes Scoob! so enjoyable - the characters have a sense of realism. However, the Simon Cowell cameo is so unnecessary.  
So, there you have it, as long as you don't watch Scoob! hoping for a nostalgic Scooby-Doo feeling then there's no reason you won't enjoy it. I would certainly watch Scoob! again and I would even watch a sequel movie. But I have to admit I did miss the Fred and Daphne chemistry and I felt that Velma, Daphne and Fred all should've had more screen time. Next, I would love to see a Wacky Races film with the whole gang! Let me know below if you've seen Scoob! or are planning to. 

Thank you for reading and stay safe xx 

Comments

  1. I was on the fence if I wanted to watch this one. I loved everything Scooby Doo since I was younger. So I wasn't sure if I would be able to get used to the new voices and new look. Your post has made me think I should give it a try though. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad my review has convinced you to give Scoob! a watch. I really hope you enjoy the film. Thank you for reading xx

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