Blu-ray Review: Scooby-Doo! And KISS: Rock And Roll Mystery

Blu-ray Reviews, Film, Reviews, Top Story

Over the years the Scooby gang have teamed up with a lot of people from the Harlem Globetrotters to Batman and Robin, so it really only makes sense that sooner or later they would team up with the rock band KISS. With their theatrical make up and personal mythology, frankly it’s a surprise this didn’t happen sooner. A classic Scooby-Doo episode featuring KISS would have been fantastic. So how is the new movie?

It turns out Daphne (Grey griffin) is a huge KISS fan and has a massive crush on The Starchild (Paul Stanley). So she tells the gang that there is a mystery to solve at the Kiss World, the Kiss theme park. However, when they get there she admits it was just a ruse to convince them all to go, but as luck would have it, it turns out there really is a mystery to solve!

The film opens with a the Crimson Witch accosting to park workers (voiced by Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes). The Crimson Witch is looking for a crystal more famously known as the Detroit Rock. The Scooby Gang are on the case, but their services aren’t really wanted, as it turns out KISS likes solving mysteries too. KISS would have everyone believe that they are actually aliens from another planet and the Detroit Rock is a magical crystal that keeps the evil being The Destroyer (Darius Rucker) held captive. If The Crimson Witch gets her hands on it, she will unleash The Destroyer and it will destroy earth. Velma (Mindy Cohn), of course, believes there is a rational explanation for all this and is determined to uncover the truth. But maybe this time, the gang are in way over their heads as the power of rock may be their only salvation.

Rounding out the cast is, of course, the rest of KISS as themselves, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and, as always, Frank Welker as Fred, he also voices Scooby-Doo here. (One reoccurring joke throughout the film is that KISS keeps referring to Fred as Frank as they never learn his name.) Doc McGhee, KISS’s real life tour manager, plays that roll here and Garry and Penny Marshall make small appearances as well.

All-in-all, Rock and Roll Mystery was a pretty fun movie. It’s certainly not as great as the original series, but it does manage to maintain much the style and humor. Thankfully the laugh track is gone. The opening credits pay homage to the original animation style, which is basically just a tease and how cool this movie could have been had they done the whole thing in that style, but the more modern animation style employed here is fine.

One might argue that this movie is just and another chance for KISS to throw they’re name on something and make a quick buck. The writers of the film were aware of that, and thusly make tons of KISS shoddy merchandising jokes throughout the entire film. I say, as mentioned above, that Scooby-Doo has always teamed up with others, so teaming up with KISS doesn’t seem like that far of a stretch. Also, Scooby has always used fun rock music to score their montage scenes, here they, obviously, use KISS songs.

Is this the best Scooby-Doo movie? By all means, no. That said, it was pretty fun for what it was and as an old school Scooby-Doo and KISS fan, I was not disappointed, which I thought I would be going in.

The film is presented in 1.78:1 and Dolby Digital 5.1. The animation in this film is solid, the colors really pop. The sound it great too.

Extra include: Are you a Scooby or a Shaggy? (2 min.) wherein KISS, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, and another cast member answer the question. KISS Cut-Ups (1 min.) KISS stand around in full make-up and try to say classic Scooby-Doo lines and fail. There are also two episodes of The Scooby-Doo Show: “To Switch a Witch” and “The Diabolical Disc Demon” in which the demon in question was obviously inspired by KISS’s unique costume and make up style, which is pretty fun to see.

As a modern Scooby-Doo movie I had very little expectations going in, however, the film proved to be a lot of fun. If you’re looking for a way to get your kids into KISS, this might be the gateway you’ve been looking for.

Warner Bros. presents Scooby-Doo! And KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery. Written by: Kevin Shinick. Story by: Jim Krieg and Kevin Shinik. Directed by: Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone. Starring: Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Mindy Cohn, Grey Griffin, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Running time: 79 min. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: July 21, 2015.

Kiss Meets Scooby Doo blu-ray dvd

Mike Noyes received his Masters Degree in Film from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. A few of his short films can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/mikebnoyes. He recently published his first novel which you can buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Days-Years-Mike-Noyes-ebook/dp/B07D48NT6B/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528774538&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+days+seven+years