6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When Daphne becomes the star of a vampire film, the production is thrown into chaos by a real vampire, forcing the Scooby-Doo to investigate who's behind this monstrous mayhem.
Starring: Jeff Bennett (I), Mindy Cohn, Jim Cummings (I), Rob Paulsen, Mindy SterlingAnimation | 100% |
Family | 93% |
Comedy | 55% |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Music of the Vampire delivers a fun, funny, funky little Scooby-Doo mystery that, every now and then, took me by surprise. (Sly references to everything from Ghostbusters to Bram Stoker's Dracula to the classic Hanna-Barbera Scoob that started it all? Yes, please. A dash of subtle political satire for the adults in the room? Absolutely, thanks for thinking of us. Playful jabs at the Twilight franchise and the more obsessive branch of its fanbase? You had me at hello, Tom Sheppard. You had me at hello.) Unfortunately, though, Music of the Vampire is a terrible musical. Every time the music kicks in, every time a vampire reveals the intricacies of his evil master plan via song, every time Fred and the Mystery Inc. gang get their graveyard Glee on, Warner Premiere's eighth direct-to-video movie, movie roo! comes apart at the seams.
Mystery Inc. is on the case...
Like Camp Scare and Legend of the Phantosaur before it, Music of the Vampire's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation is brimming with eye-watering colors, blood-curdling primaries, and depths-of-the-abyss blacks. I'd even go so far as to say these direct-to-video Scooby-Doo releases boast some of the most colorful images out there, and that's saying a lot in a market dominated by Pixar, Dreamworks and other giants of animation. Clarity is dead on as well. The animators' line art is crisp and clean (without any significant ringing or aliasing to worry over), the bayou's spooky swamps and the Vampire Palooza festival grounds are sharp and striking, and the CG that's employed from time to time (when the Mystery Machine rolls across a rickety bridge or when Shaggy is on the run from a fireball-slinging vamp) blends rather seamlessly with the movie's traditionally animated elements. The only issue to be found? Banding. Lots and lots of banding. Each instance is relatively minor, and much of it traces back to the original animation and subsequent source (computer generated lighting effects take their toll whenever the lights are low), but it's there. And there... and there... and in the sky, in the candle light, along the flashlight beam, right there in... well, you get the point. Anomaly hunters will also spot a few artifacts here and there, but don't fret; what little already negligible macroblocking I noticed was static, meaning it too hails from the original animation and source, not some nefarious compression inadequacy. All that being said, Music of the Vampire flies high, swoops in for the kill, and drains the life out of its DVD counterpart.
Music of the Vampire's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track isn't bristling with creepy, crawly directional effects, but it scares up plenty of good old fashioned sonic fun. Dialogue remains clean and clear throughout, without a bark, boo, jinkies, ruh roh, or zoinks going unaccounted for. The rear speakers sink their fangs into everything the soundscape has to offer, even if the movie's sound design isn't the most robust or immersive. LFE output is cautious but firm as well, with enough weighty thrashing and crashing to make every fright, chase and downbeat a suitably devilish delight. And the music? Questionable composition notwithstanding, the centerpiece songs sound about as good as they could, despite a distinct front-heaviness and a bit too much emphasis placed on the lyrics. If anything, the mix isn't as full as, say, a feature animated film's. But I doubt anyone will complain, especially when the end result rarely disappoints.
Music of the Vampire doesn't offer much at all in the way of special features. The only extra to be found is a kid-friendly Sing-Along suite (HD, 14 minutes) with six songs from the movie: "Bayou Breeze," "Done with Monsters," "The Vampires Dance," "The Vampire's Bite," "Scooby and Me" and "Do You Want to Live Forever?"
Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire works... when it isn't trying to be a musical. Entertaining as Warner Premiere's eighth direct-to-video Scooby-Doo movie can be, its songs fall flat and nearly spoil all the fun. Warner's vibrant video presentation and toothy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track certainly help; an almost complete lack of extras doesn't. Ultimately, kids will buy in and sing along, but older Scooby fans won't be so eager to let Music of the Vampire leech their hard-earned cash.
2003
2009
2005
2011
2012
2010
2008
2012
Warner Archive Collection
1999
2014
1998
2012
1969-1978
2015
1972-1973
Collector's Edition
2024
2016
2005
2019
Warner Archive Collection
1987