SCOOBY-DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED [2004]

Raja Gosnell returns to direct Monsters Unleasehd, the sequel to the disastrous 2002 Scooby-Doo film.
It's the usual Scooby-Doo story with those meddling kids yet again, only this time around the film wisely brings back a whole slew of ghoulies fans will remember from the cartoon series.  
James Gunn returns as scriptwriter only now he's aware of what the studio wanted and delivers something that doesn't need to be..ahem...meddled with.  It's silly but humorous, dumb but fun and brainless but caring. Once again it's Matt Lillard's Shaggy that steals the whole show (I'd prefer a movie with just him, Scooby and Velma) but thankfully we're blessed with something a little better than the original.  Still, it's strictly kiddie fare that'll pummel an adult's brain into a pulp for 90 minutes.

2½ Chickensteins out of 5

Young Frankenstein (1974)

This movie ages like a fine wine. Every time I see it, it just gets better and better. It’s almost like canon to me, which is why I included it in my mini Monster marathon. Combines all the best elements of the series, with a little bit of King Kong thrown in. Gene Wilder plays his manic bit to a T as Dr. Franken-steen, the grandson of the original inventor, and Marty Feldman's eyeballs remain as swoon-worthy as ever. It's such a simple idea and that’s why this spoof works. Doesn’t try too hard to outdo the original, but instead has fun with the source material and allows the actors to have a blast with it.

5 enormous Schwanzstückers out of 5