7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The Mystery Inc. crew travels the globe on a transcontinental treasure hunt to solve a series of ancient riddles. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are indoctrinated by an unlikely Sword Master.
Starring: Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Grey Griffin, Mindy Cohn, Kelly HuAnimation | 100% |
Family | 90% |
Comedy | 52% |
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
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Swedish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Swedish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Wandering deep into the catacombs, Warner Bros. digs up four less than classic direct-to-video Scooby-Doo! movies; none of which are all that special (or very good frankly), hint at a multi-release Complete Collection master plan, or offer junior mystery junkies what they're really after: early Hanna-Barbera Scooby-Doo, meticulously restored and presented in high definition. Instead comes the 5th, 6th, 7th and, leaping forward five years, 13th Mystery Inc. misadventures from Warner Animation. The oldest hails from 2003 -- subsequently the oldest animated Scooby release available on Blu-ray -- and the youngest is still a pup, born in 2009. Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (2003) and Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico (2003) at least have the distinction of reuniting the original series' voice cast (Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Heather North and Nicole Jaffe) for the first time in more than thirty years, even though the ends fail to justify the means (or the potential). While Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster (2004) and Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009) are decent but lesser efforts altogether, two small evolutionary steps between the earliest DTV releases as yet unavailable on Blu-ray and some of the more flashy or clever Scooby-Doo! movies released in recent months, namely Legend of the Phantosaur and Mask of the Blue Falcon. Ah well, completists can't be choosers.
What a difference five years makes. With an uptick in animation and a reduction in the number of issues inherent to its source, Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword and its 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation are more in line with recent Scooby Doo direct-to-video Blu-ray releases than its predecessors. Colors are strong and vibrant, primaries pack a punch, black levels are fresh from the animators' pen, and contrast is bright and satisfying. Detail is quite good too, with fewer instances of the rampant pixelation and other anomalies that plague The Legend of the Vampire, The Monster of Mexico and The Loch Ness Monster. (Key word: fewer.) Lines are crisp and largely clean (although frame zooms still distort overall clarity), backgrounds are striking, and the usual suspects -- noticeable banding, exceedingly minor macroblocking and negligible intermittent ringing -- are really the only things that threaten the integrity of the presentation. All in all, The Samurai Sword delivers.
The Samurai Sword's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track benefits from the five-year gap between it and its Loch Ness Monster cousin. Rear speaker activity is more playful and aggressive, LFE output is fiercer and more nuanced, and dynamics are more refined. A prevailing, two-dimensional cartoon soundstage still dominates the proceedings, but it doesn't take much of a toll, especially since it's par for the animated DTV movie course. Voices are clean, crystal clear and grounded in the soundscape, effects are bolstered by noteworthy power and weight, and the entire experience, flat as it can be at times, is a bright, bombastic blast overall.
Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword doesn't include any special features.
Of the four Scooby-Doo direct-to-video movies from the March 12th block, Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword is the clear winner, and the one to choose if you're only interested in picking up a single release. It's a departure (the ghost is real for once!) but it amounts to a fun bit of mystery solving and katana-wielding action kids will eat up. Moreover, Warner's Blu-ray release and AV presentation are quite impressive, even if the disc doesn't offer any extras. Long story (and four reviews) short? Go with The Samurai Sword first; sample the others afterwards, one by one until your family gets its fill.
2010
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1969-1978
Warner Archive Collection
1999
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2012
1998
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1972-1973
2010-2011
Warner Archive Collection
1987
2003