Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins Blu-ray

Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins

 (TV) (2009)

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Mystery



From the director of 'Snow Dogs', 'Beethoven' and 'The Flintstones', 'Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins' takes you back to when four teenage sleuths (plus one dog detective) first met.

For more details about Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins on Blu-ray, see the Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins Blu-ray Review

Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


The indisputable high point of Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins is Warner's 1080p/VC-1 transfer. Contrast is terribly inconsistent and the picture often looks flimsy, fragile, faded, or a combination of all three (at least when compared to other recent high definition releases), but primaries remain fairly strong throughout and detail is surprisingly sharp. While a moderate veneer of grain permeates the proceedings, it rarely robs faces of their finest textures or interferes with the clarity of background elements. Despite the use of some edge enhancement, object definition isn't plagued by the brittle artificiality exhibited by most direct-to-video transfers. If anything, errant noise spoils the presentation, cluttering shadowy interiors and disrupting the film's many nighttime scenes. It's particularly prevalent in the third act (when the gang invades their principal's home before exploring the school's dark-n-dreary underground ruins) and serves as a persistent distraction. Ah well, at least the image hasn't been slathered with noise reduction. Considering the nature of the production, Scooby Doo fans should thank the low-budget gods. The film could look much, much worse.

Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Most of Warner's direct-to-video Blu-ray releases have faltered with standard Dolby Digital 5.1 surround tracks and Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins is no different. Dialogue is clear and intelligible, albeit thin and pinched; LFE output, while pudgy at times, lends suitable presence to the gang's supernatural encounters, as well as some welcome weight to a trio of unexpected explosions; and directionality is fairly competent for a track that could have easily been presented with a stereo mix (trust me, few would have cared, even fewer would have noticed). Unfortunately, the rear speakers are out to lunch, typically indulging in sloppy soundfield antics or bowing out altogether. Interiors tend to sound the same -- an empty gymnasium, a series of underground ruins, and the Mystery Machine being the only notable exceptions -- and ambience is often non-existent. Still, anyone bracing themselves for TV-quality sonics, low budget sonics at that, will shrug their shoulders and accept Scooby Doo's forgettable track for what it is.

Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins Blu-ray, News and Updates

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Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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