Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

This high-energy, live-action version of the TV cartoon series is just as juvenile but is light-years better than the first Scooby feature. The computer-generated title hound is ironically the weakest link in the cast, as the populace of Coolsville is ravaged by an anonymous masked villain who uses a monster machine to recreate such Mystery Inc. foes as the Pterodactyl Ghost and the Black Knight. Scooby; his human pal, Shaggy (Matthew Lillard); and the rest of their gang launch an investigation into the monster outbreak as the brainy Velma (Linda Cardellini) romantically falls for a museum curator (Seth Green) who is a key suspect in the case. Amid all the wacky mayhem, the film reflects the TV series’ theme that being who you are is always better than pretending to be someone you want to be.