It's no 'On Zombie Island, but...

Belated sequel to Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998), made for the franchise's fiftieth anniversary. The 1998 movie is credited with reinvigorating Scooby-Doo at a time when the IP was struggling. It's one of the most popular of Scooby movies, largely due to its use of legitimate horror moments, and placing the genuine supernatural at the fore. Any sequel was going to have an uphill struggle as far as fans were concerned. Sure enough, fan response in the main ranged from 'meh', to downright hate. Chief criticisms were retconning elements from the first film, characterisations of the leads, and a generally poor plot.

Return to Zombie Island isn't just a follow-up to the 1998 film; it's also a sequel to Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (released 7 months earlier), with the dual role of maintaining consistency with that film, and carrying on the legacy of a revered classic. However, On Zombie Island and Curse of the 13th Ghost are two very different movies, and any sequel trying to be true to both was always going to have its work cut out. In the end we get a film tonally consistent with its immediate predecessor, but with callbacks to the horror of the 1998 film. However, some of those horror elements have been rewritten to fit the narrative of the current movies, which has inevitably led to accusations of 'watering down'. It's true that retelling those events in the current style may have rendered them less dark, but the essence pretty much survives (although there are aspects that have been overtly rewritten, to perhaps be more 'family friendly'). Characterisations are perfectly in-line with the current movies. I've seen it said that the five lead characters are now parodies of themselves. I think that's true (but no less enjoyable), and Frank Welker, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, and Kate Micucci nail it as ever. As for plot, whilst there are some inconsistencies with On Zombie Island, this movie does stay consistent with its own retelling of those events. It makes sense to see this as a reboot/sequel; flashbacks retell the 1998 movie, whilst the rest is a sequel to that version. In that light, and as its own thing, I enjoyed it. 7/10