Mystery Gang: First Fright

Mystery Incorporated: First Fright is a Drama Comedy Mystery film based off the Scooby-Doo franchise. Unlike most other versions of the series, the film is live-action, although it isn’t related to the previous live action Scooby%Doo movies

Discussions for a live action Scooby Doo film were in production for years, with several cast and crew changes being made over the years. The film was produced by Sam Register and Vanessa Brookman, the two presidents of Hanna-Barbera studios. The film was written and directed by Kevin Smith, although when he sighed onto the film there was a controversy about whether or not he’d be right for the movie. Randy Newman composed the score for the film. Jack Dylan Grazer plays the role of Shaggy Rogers, Bella Thorne plays the role of Daphne Blake, Asher Angel plays the role of Fred Jones, Sadie Sink plays the role of Velma Dinkley, and Frank Welker reprises the voice role of Scooby-Doo, who’s character is animated via live action

The film had a budget of $90 million and has a runtime of 98 minutes. The film was both a commercial and critical success. The film grossed $483 million at the box office and received positive reviews from critics. Praise was aimed towards the cast performances(particularly those of Thorne, Angel, and Grazer), Newmans score, Smiths direction and screenplay, the films visual effects, and the overall faithfulness to the source material.

Plot
One night in the town of Crystal Cove, Mayor Jones, the father of Fred Jones and the Mayor of Crystal Cove, goes missing. Fred vows to find his father no matter what. He starts to search the town for clues, starting with his dads office. While he’s doing this, he has to juggle spending time with his girlfriend Daphne Blake, playing football for his high school team, and keeping a good grade in class. One day, he enlists the help of his classmate Velma Dinkley to help solve the mystery

One day, Fred and Velma search an abandoned building where they believe Mayor Jones is being kept, however the two are chased away from the building by what appears to be a ghost. As the two drive away from the scene, they almost hit their classmates Shaggy Rogers and his talking dog Scooby-Doo. When the ghost chases the four, Shaggy and Scooby hop in the van before they drive away. Once they’re away from the ghost, Fred apologies for dragging them into that situation, and Shaggy and Scooby begrudgingly accept his apology, although only after Fred offers them food. That night, Scooby convinces Shaggy that they should help Fred and Velma, because if they help save the town, they could be awarded with a lot of free food, so the next day, Shaggy and Scooby join the team

The next day, Daphne becomes aware of Fred’s plan and decides to help him out, mainly because she wants to help him find his dad. That night, all 5 members of the gang are haunted by nightmares, Fred is haunted by nightmares of his missing father, Daphne is haunted by nightmares that Fred might leave her if she can’t help find Mayor Jones, Shaggy and Scooby have similar nightmares of failing the case, and Velma has nightmares about failing to solve the mystery as well. That day two things happen, the first is that Fred goes to the school counselor to ask for guidance, mainly because he’s struggling to cope with all the responsibilities he has, however the school counselor gets kidnapped by the ghost halfway through the session. This ends up giving Fred an idea as to who the culprit may be. The second is that Velma meets up with Daphne, and the two discuss theories on who the killer is, and Daphne encourages Velma to ask out the person she is in love with, who Daphne thinks is Shaggy

After school, Fred meets up with the gang and devises a plan for how they’re going to trap the ghost. The five sneak into school that night and begin to set up their trap. As they set up, Shaggy and Scooby begin to get nervous, and as they begin to panic, the ghost appears and begins to chase them around the school. In the middle of the chase, Daphne distracts the ghost and leads the ghost into the trap the gang created. With the ghost trapped the police arrive, and Fred unmasks the ghost, revealing the ghost to actually be Mr.Smith, the schools vice-principal and Mayor Jones opponent in the upcoming mayoral election. Mr.Smith was willing to win the mayoral race at any cost and prevent the gang from figuring out who he was.

Mr.Smith is arrested and Mayor Jones is found at Mr.Smiths house and Fred reunites with his father. That night, Mayor Jones gifts Fred his old van, and Fred meets up with the other four at the park the next day. The events brought them closer as friends, and they all agree to continue their little crime solving group, giving it the unofficial name Mystery Incorporated. The five paint the van, giving it the name, “The Mystery Machine,” and the five drive towards what looks like a monster in the distance. In the van, Velma looks at a photo of her friend Marcy and smiles, revealing she was in love with her, not Shaggy

Cast
Jack Dylan Grazer as Shaggy Rogers

Bella Thorne as Daphne Blake

Asher Angel as Fred Jones

Sadie Sink as Velma Dinkley

Frank Welker as the voice of Scooby-Doo

Hailee Steinfeld as Marcy, also known as Hot Dog Water

Daniel Radcliffe as Mayor Jones

Ethan Slater as the school counselor

Keegan-Micheal Key as Mr.Smith

Reception
On the website Rotten Tomatoes, the film was given an overall critics score of 98%, with an audience score of 99%. Reviews for the film were positive, and it was cited by many critics as being one of the best movies of the year