Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders

A lot has changed since the original '70s-era gang of Scooby-Doo fans gave way to today's followers of the hipster mystery cartoon series. For one, nowadays kids don't have to wait around for the half-hour Saturday morning show- -they can pick up a copy of Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders. All the familiar elements are here; even the groovy green Mystery Machine makes a comeback, but it isn't as reliable as it used to be. At the outset of Alien Invaders, it breaks down, leaving the crime-solving crew stranded in a creepy desert town overrun by aliens. From there, the plot unwinds faster than Scooby can down a box of his namesake snacks. A band of swollen-headed purple and green space guys--Zoinks--send the terrified teens scrambling for cover, but it's not long before the quick-witted gang figures out that there's a team of bad guys behind the bug-eyed masks. That's not to say, though, that real-life aliens aren't also roaming the streets, as Shag and Scoob (who hook up in an unprecedented Scooby-Doo romance with a peace sign-wearing babe and her equally hip dog) discover in the course of clearing out of the phony aliens' hair-raising path. To longtime viewers, the love angle seems unsettling; it steals from the tightness of the mystery team. Still, with so much creepy fun to get caught up in, it's a minor complaint. Scott Innes, the modern-day voice of both Shaggy and Scooby, nails both parts, and Jennifer Love Hewitt fans also will want to tune in--she sings the Scooby theme song. --Tammy La Gorce