Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is a 2004 children's comedy horror film that is a sequel to 2002's Scooby-Doo, with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and Neil Fanning returning to their roles and James Gunn and Raja Gosnell returning to write and direct. Seth Green, Peter Boyle, Tim Blake Nelson and Alicia Silverstone played newcomers in this film. The Coolsonian Criminology Museum opened up and got robbed by an Evil Masked Figure. Mystery Inc. has to figure out why the Evil Masked Figure would change costumes into monsters. It got less money at the box office compared to the first film, which resulted in a third film directed by James Gunn being scrapped. At the time, the film got worse reviews than the first film from critics but fans liked it for being closer to the original cartoons.

Tropes used in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed include:
  • Bad Guy Bar: The Faux Ghost is a bar where the unmasked criminals hang out, including Old Man Wickles.
  • Becoming the Mask: The main subject of the film.
  • Big Bad: The Evil Masked Figure.
  • Big No:
    • The Cotton Candy Glob says this once Shaggy and Scooby start eating him.
    • The Evil Masked Figure says this as he gets unmasked.
  • Big "Shut Up!": Daphne yells one at a group of boys who made fun of Mystery Inc.
  • Blatant Lies: Shaggy told the crew that Scooby has rabies so that Shaggy and Scooby can go to the Faux Ghost.
  • Brain Bleach: Ned the cameraman knew who the Masked Man was. What he doesn't know, however, is that she is a he.
  • Broad Strokes: The events of the first film are mostly ignored.
  • The Cameo: Scooby turned into the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes after drinking a potion.
  • Canon Foreigner: The Cotton Candy Glob, Patrick Wisely and Ned the Cameraman are the only characters to originate from the film.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: The characters originating from the first film are ignored except where Scooby mutters "Mary Jane is a man in a mask" at the very end.
  • Comically Missing the Point: At the chamber of Old Man Wickles Manor, a group of Mormons asked Scooby if he heard the good news. Scooby replied "Yeah! There's cookies!" since there was a girl scout at the same chamber.
  • Contrasting Sequel Character: Unlike the first film, the villain in this film was an actual villain previous Scooby-Doo media and that Jacobo uses science rather than a ritual.
  • Crossdresser: While in prison, Dr. Jonathan Jacobo got the female lead in My Fair Lady. He also happened to use the Heather-Jasper Howe persona.
  • Evil Is Hammy: The Evil Masked Figure likes yelling "Mystery Incorporated" at the top of his lungs.
  • Expressive Mask: The Evil Masked Figure has a mask that moves like a face.
  • Eye Scream: Old Man Wickles threatened to take Mystery Inc.'s eyes out of their skulls and make them eat the eyes.
  • Goofy Print Underwear: Scooby finds a pair of these in Old Man Wickles Manor.
  • Groin Attack: Velma kicks the Black Knight Ghost "right in the roundtables".
  • Hero with Bad Publicity: Courtesy of Heather Jasper-Howe.
  • I Just Want to Be Badass: a subplot in this film is how Scooby and Shaggy want to stop becoming The Load for the rest of Mystery Inc.
  • Ironic Echo: "Talking is for wimps." Fred said it first but the Black Knight ghost said it later to Fred.
  • Latex Perfection: Jacobo masquerading as Heather.
  • Legion of Doom: Several famous monsters Mystery Inc. have tackled becoming lackies to the Masked Man.
  • Manipulative Editing: Heather-Jasper Howe uses this to Fred to make Mystery Inc. feel like the bad guys.
  • Motorcycle Jousting: Fred rides a motorcycle to duel the Black Knight Ghost.
  • Mythology Gag:
    • Fred mentioned that the Black Knight Ghost was Mystery Inc.'s first case. The very first Scooby-Doo cartoon had the Black Knight Ghost as the villain.
    • Scooby and Shaggy were singing "Strangers of the Night" by Frank Sinatra with Old Man Wickles' toilet brush as a microphone, which is the song where Scooby got his name.
  • Oh Crap:
    • The Cotton Candy Glob when he realizes that Scooby and Shaggy are NOT afraid of him. On the contrary...
    • The Black Knight Ghost says it word for word after getting reduced to a helmet.
  • Panty Shot: Velma has one for a couple of frames as she jumps into a ship's air funnel.
  • Product Placement: Scooby-Doo is seen drinking a strawberry shake from a Burger King or KFC cup depending on the copy.
  • Red Herring: Velma's Love Interest, Patrick, who has a Stalker Shrine to Jonathan Jacobo located not far from the Masked Man's lair, and even admits to having admired the latter's work.
  • Sickly Green Glow: Most if not all of the monsters have a green glow.
  • Tempting Fate: Fred asked to Shaggy about ringing the Wickles Manor doorbell "What could possibly happen by ringing the doorbell?" After ringing it, Mystery Inc. fell into a trapped door.
  • Took a Level In Dumbass: The Skeleton Men are stupider than their cartoon counterparts, particularly the green-eyed one.
  • Truer to the Text: The film is closer to the cartoons compared to the first film. For example, the characterizations of the Mystery Inc. crew were restored, and all the monsters originated from the cartoon.
  • Vomit Indiscretion Shot: A zombie vomits green slime at a reporter.
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