I finished watching Return to Zombie Island on Wednesday, and I must say I have mixed feelings about this film.
I feel like the film doesn't really work at all as a sequel to Zombie Island like they set it up to be. The tone is completely inconsistent with the original, and several details, like in Curse of the 13th Ghost, have significant continuity errors. Some examples of this are Coast to Coast with Daphne Blake being a "school project," their trip to Moonscar Island as a "summer vacation" and Simone and Lena's house being a hotel with a guest book that the gang apparently signed last visit, which they didn't. However, on its own as a standalone film, the movie is pretty decent. I really enjoyed some of the references, especially the one to Reluctant Werewolf and that we got some old Zombie Island footage redone in the current animation. I particularly enjoyed Alan as a character, and the movie had sort of a spooky tone. It was cool there was at least some continuity with the last film about them giving away the Mystery Machine. One thing I hated about the film is Velma claiming everything was fake again. I don't like that they've added this to her character now. It would make sense to have her be a little skeptic, but she's so overbearing that it almost seems like she's in denial. I also didn't like the design of the zombies or cat creatures. They seemed more silly-looking than scary, which was one thing I felt did the first film a terrible injustice. I was really hoping for a sequel to Zombie Island that was similar in its dark and mature tone, but after Curse of the 13th Ghost, tbh my hopes were pretty low and they were for the most part achieved. I thought it was cool they got Elvira to guest star in this, especially after they parodied her in LEGO Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood a few years back. Overall, the film was pretty lackluster as a sequel to one of the most widely loved films of the Scooby franchise. But for the most part, with the exception of the glaring continuity errors, the film was harmless even though there was absolutely no point in doing it besides a nostalgic cash grab for the 50th anniversary. That being said, I'll just add a little disclaimer here to end my review. My hopes were pretty low for this film, but in general, I was disappointed that they didn't try to make legitimate sequels to both 13 Ghosts and Zombie Island. It seemed like WB was going for the nostalgia factor with this year's DTVs, but then wanted to put in as little work as humanly possible into making them true sequels, or even consistent with the original. My opinion is that Scooby-Doo needs a drastic shakeup in the writer's room, with some new people that truly care about the franchise and have some ideas which legitimately cater to the adults still interested in Scooby-Doo. Explore some new territory in the franchise, experiment a bit, and don't just go with safe nostalgia but not bother to put the work in. (This somewhat goes for Guess Who as well) I would genuinely like to see either completely unexplored territory in the Scooby franchise tested out, or maybe go back to some of the old stuff with some actual research done on the tone of the original work.
52 Comments
CJT
9/6/2019 07:00:13 pm
I did not like RTZI. It was a real disappointment and a waste of an opportunity. Let me preface this by saying that I'm a huge Scooby fan, and have liked or loved almost every DTV that has been released (sorry not sorry KISS). I personally found the plot of the movie very boring, the humour was mostly miss, and like you said Velma was pretty much insufferable by the end. The writing made her look like a crazy person.
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9/6/2019 07:51:29 pm
Agreed with all your points, including that Velma looked like a crazy person. It's frustrating to see her written that way. I didn't have that high of hopes for the film given the last one (cool to see someone who liked 13th Ghost more than this one, I'd say it's the other way around for me). Looked nice, but I agree the tone was horribly off and I expected it to be. The voice actors gave their all, with the exception of Kate IMO, a couple lines sounded off. Particularly one scene where she groaned sounded super weird and not like Velma at all.
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Isaiah
9/6/2019 08:58:15 pm
I have nothing against Kate but man her voice is starting to grate on me I miss Mindy Cohn
CJT
9/7/2019 05:29:12 am
It took me so long to get used to Kate and her Velma, I'm still not there yet, but RTZI did not help at all. Velma was so frustrating it was unreal. I really hope in the next DTV things are back to normal. No more sequels to 80s/90s Scooby properties. Not that I cared about retconning 13 Ghosts, but a return to the standard formula will be so, so welcome after the events of Tuesday the 3rd of September. Lol. 9/7/2019 09:45:18 am
I hope we go back to normal as well after these two messes of DTVs.
IkeDaKil
9/6/2019 07:13:51 pm
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSztTREJBQVDDK1qbvu_jAqOoswtmOqFb
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9/6/2019 07:35:26 pm
She uploaded the whole episode to YouTube in 13 parts? That's odd but thank you, I think I'll watch it that way.
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Samuel Kirkwood
9/7/2019 08:28:25 am
Thanks for the link, an irritating way to watch but as Kim hasn't got it up yet I'll give it a go.
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9/9/2019 05:05:22 pm
FYI to anyone watching this way, there's about a one-minute chunk of the episode missing between parts 3 and 4 on the YouTube video linked above.
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The cop
9/6/2019 07:36:36 pm
At least there's an explanation for the zombie's being bad because their meant to be part of a movie even Alan say's the costume's were cheap
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9/6/2019 07:52:09 pm
Good point, but I think it would have been cool for them to be scary like the originals.
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Isaiah
9/7/2019 02:44:53 am
I have a feeling it’s the same problems as curse of the 13th ghosts, lots of executive meddling by WB
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9/7/2019 10:03:17 am
I'm sure you're right. Some exec at WB probably told them no real supernatural threat just like they said no Scrappy in Curse of the 13th Ghost.
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Samuel Kirkwood
9/7/2019 08:25:00 am
Couldn't agree more with your review. The continuity was horrendous, the characters were in their late 20's/early 30's in the original, Velma owned a bookstore, what happened to that? The plot was lifeless, pointless and dull, with a lot of unfunny jokes and pretty boring throughout. Where was the scare factor of the original? Rather than cool, edgy songs, they went with a more lighter NSDM feel, which totally didn't fit the mood. I'd actually go as far as saying this is the worst direct to dvd Scooby Doo movie to date. It's so bad I will be selling the dvd Monday although I'm severely tempted to smash it into pieces and mail it to WB.
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9/7/2019 09:43:03 am
I would have liked for the bookstore to have been mentioned, but given the crappy continuity, I'm actually glad they didn't say anything. I would have been frustrated if they would have said it was some after school job or something. The songs were really stupid, particular the "Sweet as Honey" one (or whatever it was called). This was supposed to be spooky and edgy, so to have a cheesy bubblegum pop song playing while the cat creatures were chasing them was just dumb. Wouldn't say it's the worst though, I enjoyed it as a standalone film but the thought of it being a sequel to Zombie Island was pretty horrific.
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Samuel Kirkwood
9/7/2019 12:04:39 pm
Interesting, what animated scooby film or films do you think were worse? 9/7/2019 02:37:18 pm
Arabian Nights obviously, and I thought Music of the Vampire was pretty horrible. The music scenes were timed terribly and felt forced in, rather than an actual musical film. I also hated LEGO Scooby-Doo: Blowout Beach Bash, it was just a horribly done film with crappy jokes and felt rushed.
Greybishop
9/7/2019 11:33:49 am
I see Return to Zombie Island TOTALLY differently than everyone here.
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Eddy2208
9/7/2019 01:37:45 pm
I agree with you 100% I truly do not like when they have real supernatural threats in Scooby to me it defeats the purpose of Scooby and makes it just like any other supernatural show. I could not explain the disappointment I felt with Goblin King and how relieved I was to see them return to the true formula on Abracadabra-Doo. To me THATS a TRUE Scooby movie. I also feel that Scooby can be dark, unique, exciting, and scary WITHOUT real monsters. The first season of Mystery Inc. proves this can be done. I also think people forget that Scooby is marketed towards CHILDREN. There was some weirdo on Reddit asking for them to make a dark Scooby series that included blood and nudity. I was like...”you realize Scooby is CHILDREN'S cartoon right?” But anyways when I tried showing my little cousins Zombie Island they all had nightmares and complained to their parents so I understand WB’s decision to ax real monsters. So I’m with you I LOVED the sequel and prefer it much more than the original. Scooby is at its best when it’s a man in a mask 😄😄😄
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Greybishop
9/7/2019 03:11:40 pm
Nice to see a fellow anti-supernatural Scooby fan. I can't recall which episode or movie was the first I saw where the gang ran into a "real" monster but I'm certain it left me annoyed and disappointed. 9/7/2019 02:35:36 pm
Very interesting opinions, thank you for sharing them! Personally I enjoyed the darker tone of Zombie Island and how it was a bit more mature. When I say "mature," I would never want it to go as far as Eddy2208 mentioned he didn't want in his comment, like having nudity or blood in the show. Thanks for sharing your opinions though, very fascinating to see a diverse set of views on the show.
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Greybishop
9/7/2019 03:21:59 pm
Everybody likes what they like and that keeps life interesting. I get that you liked the more mature tone and I can see the appeal. If they made a more grown up Scooby gang movie aimed at teens and adults but kept the man in mask backbone I would likely love it to pieces. I'm all for having the franchise grow and even having the characters age and mature. I just prefer they live in a world that doesn't include "real" ghosts and monsters. 9/7/2019 03:43:30 pm
That's super interesting! It's understandable that people would prefer to keep it consistent with the show's roots of having a man-in-a-mask. For me, I wouldn't like it Scooby had real monsters in every show or film, but it's nice to mix up the formula a little sometimes. I love when the show explores new elements like they did in SDMI, BCSD, and even shows like 13 Ghosts and Get Clue. For me, that can include having a real monster occasionally.
Eddy2208
9/8/2019 08:51:41 pm
Greybishop do you have twitter or Instagram it would be nice to discuss some Scooby content with you since we have similar views. :)
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Greybishop
9/8/2019 10:06:24 pm
Sorry, Eddy. I'm social media averse. I have a blog (greybishop.blogspot.com) and pay pretty close attention to the comments left there, but that's as close as I get these days.
IkeDaKil
9/7/2019 01:38:42 pm
guys if you don't like the link with the 13 parts for the episode then go to piratebay and download it from there.
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9/7/2019 02:32:44 pm
The link with the 13 parts worked great for me, though I think a few seconds of content are missing between part 3 and 4 (it feels like a very rapid jump).
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The cop
9/7/2019 04:11:34 pm
The part in the opening credits where jacque turns into a cat creature was wrong cause in the actual movie it's only scooby and shaggy who see it
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Colin
9/7/2019 08:10:58 pm
I completely agree with Wildwind Vampire, but see where the other side is coming from. However, as far as real supernatural elements - the cat's already out of the bag. But it's not like they ram it down your throat either, so I think the ocasional real supernatural story is good for some variety and keeps the brand fresh.
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9/7/2019 08:36:47 pm
Agreed about the real cat person. I would have admittedly been a bit frustrated if they just copied what they did in Curse of the 13th Ghost again.
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Dzsasztin
9/8/2019 01:14:51 am
I didn't enjoy the movie, but I don't hate it. I don't think it was ever supposed to be a continuation of Zombie Island. It was more like a 50th anniversary celebration, than a movie. The first half of the film featuring Daphne, Velma and Fred not trying to solve the mystery is something that has never been done before, and it's something that messes with the core of the franchise, so the idea is spot-on, but the execution just didn't work for me. The cheesy song is a nod to SDWAY where they always used out-of-place songs for chase sequences, and many other things in the movie are nods to previous installments, so I guess it was made for longtime fans, it's just that the pacing was dull.
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9/8/2019 11:25:25 am
"I don't think it was ever supposed to be a continuation of Zombie Island. It was more like a 50th anniversary celebration, than a movie." I think you hit the nail on the head here, whether the WB execs realized that or not. I think the cheesy song was definitely a nod to SDWAY, though something about the Austin Roberts songs felt special and worked well with the classic WAY tone. This random 60s song just felt out of place and didn't work, possibly because of the pacing and poor transitioning.
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IkeDaKil
9/8/2019 08:00:04 am
When I watched the movie I just felt something was off... some people said it is the tone or some people said it was feeling lacked. Honestly I really don’t know what it was.
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9/8/2019 11:23:30 am
I feel like it was the tone for me, the atmosphere just didn't have the same feel as the original and the gang's characters were not at all like they were in the original DTV.
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John Locke
9/8/2019 01:04:12 pm
I have a question for everyone, does anyone else think this is being set up as it's own trilogy? Because... it's in the same continuity as 13th ghost, and... they've still not got the mystery machine back, so... I feel that will be the next one but has anyone heard any scuttlebutt what the next movie will be? I'm curious what they might tie it into, even racking my brains I can't really feel anything that needs a sequel or was unfinished like 13th ghost so I'm not sure what story will be told.
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Greybishop
9/8/2019 03:53:18 pm
Actually, I can totally see a "Scooby-Doo and the Hunt for The Mystery Machine" standalone as the capper to the "trilogy". Truthfully I didn't even put the 13 Ghosts connection together until you mentioned it. Without an obvious third film to pick up on, a complete original would work nicely.
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John Locke
9/8/2019 04:08:34 pm
Agreed! Please nothing that bad! 9/8/2019 04:32:10 pm
I could see that happening as they never did get the Mystery Machine back. I hope it's in that previous announced King Arthur movie, and not in another sequel like Reluctant Werewolf like they mentioned in this film or something. I don't like them going back and changing the format of all the original films.
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John Locke
9/8/2019 04:37:56 pm
They seemed to make a focus on it, with how much Fred misses it and a moment where they say they're going to go get it back. If they didn't do it in the film it was mentioned, it'd be disappointed if they just got it back between films, but that kind arthur one could be interesting, I'd also be disappointed if it's in like a scooby/kiss sequel (I could have sworn I heard they're working on one) 9/8/2019 07:00:17 pm
KISS announced that they would be in another Scooby-Doo mystery, though they didn't ever specifically say it would be a movie. Maybe it will just be an episode of Guess Who? That's my theory.
Greybishop
9/8/2019 05:12:33 pm
I expect it will turn out that WV is correct about the King Arthur movie. Second guessing anyone as plugged into Scooby as WV is probably a bad bet.
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9/9/2019 05:03:59 pm
Thanks so much! Though saying all my opinions about Scooby are right would be the biggest lie...at the end of the day I'm just another Scooby super fan like all you guys! :)
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Stephen Cribb
9/9/2019 03:12:43 pm
I’ve just watched Return to Zombie Island. Came out on dvd today in the UK and is only £5 in Sainsbury’s! Which is incredibly cheap for a new release. Sadly that’s all it’s worth.
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9/9/2019 03:24:40 pm
It's weird to me that they'd only list part 1 on the back cover. Glad they included both parts though!
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Stephen Cribb
9/10/2019 03:42:26 am
I'd definitely say its safe to update the episode release database :) 9/10/2019 07:48:02 am
Oops, thank you! I meant to update this yesterday when I saw your comment and I totally forgot. So thanks, served as a good reminder! :)
Scooby dooby Doo
10/4/2019 11:45:36 pm
Watched it today, and I gotta say I like this one better than the 13 ghosts, but there´s no way this is a sequel to Zombie island, too messy and not creepy at all, even the music was more like Scooby doo where are you? than zombie island, the whole atmosphere was completely different, it was entertaining for me, but not good enough.
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10/5/2019 09:59:56 am
Agreed, and you make a good point about the music fitting better with SDWAY. I think that cheesy "Good as Gold" song played during the zombie chase could have been a Where Are You chase song.
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Jakob123
8/17/2022 07:33:53 am
The first time i watched this sequel film I thought it was just okay,
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8/17/2022 08:47:27 am
I think this film was good if you think of it as a standalone DTV, but not the greatest as a sequel to Zombie Island.
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