"SCOOBY DOO! AND THE SAMURAI SWORD"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Frank Welker as FRED/SCOOBY-DOO Casey Kasem as SHAGGY Mindy Cohn as VELMA Grey DeLisle as DAPHNE Kelly Hu as MIYUMI/MISS MIRIMOTO Kevin Michael Richardson as SOJO/BLACK SAMURAI Sab Shimono as MR. TAKAGAWA George Takei as OLD MAN SAMURAI Gedde Watanabe as KENJI Keone Young as MATSUHIRO Brian Cox as GREEN DRAGON Not Rated Available on DVD April 7 Official Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword site Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Scooby and the gang travel to Japan for Daphne to enter a martial arts competition. While preparing for the competition, an ancient ghost of the Black Samurai escapes its prison in a museum. The Mystery Inc. gang must solve the mystery behind the Black Samurai and get their hands on the ancient Sword of Fate to save the modern world. Along the way, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo meet an ancient sword master who teaches them the way of the Samurai.
WHAT I LIKED
I am the perfect age to have loved the “Scooby-Doo!” series from its beginnings. I fully enjoyed the original mysteries, and I continue to watch them today with my kids. Of course, over the years, the “Scooby-Doo!” property has gone through many different versions, seeing the Mystery Inc. gang as kids, paired up with famous characters and even facing real supernatural threats.
These direct-to-DVD movies that have been made over the past ten or fifteen years have really captured the essence of the original mysteries. While the television series have sometimes gone far off the reservation (as is happening with the latest cartoon show “Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue”), these movies have provided a more traditional presentation.
Like previous films (e.g., “Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase” as well as the live-action features), there’s an actual supernatural element to “Scooby Doo and the Samurai Sword.” But don’t worry, there’s still a mystery to solve, so the movie manages to deliver on two fronts. If you’re looking for Old Man Smithers in a mask, you get something along those lines. And if you’re looking for a real ghost, well, you might just get that as well.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The film seemed to juggle a few too many things at once. There’s the story of Daphne and her martial arts. There’s the story of Shaggy and Scooby learning the way of the Samurai. Then there’s the story of the return of the Black Samurai. All of these storylines fit together, just not perfectly.
As another installment in a long line of “Scooby-Doo!” movies, I’d have to say that this was somewhere in the middle. Previous films like “Chill Out Scooby-Doo!” and “Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness Monster” were more enjoyable from my perspective. Still, that doesn’t mean that watching “Scooby Doo and the Samurai Sword” can’t be fun for the family.
DVD FEATURES
The special features on this disc are a little slim, featuring only a kid-friendly look at martial arts. This involves some basic instructions in a video segment. Clear a space in front of the television and let your kids try their skills with this featurette.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
New and old Scooby-Doo! fans.
