All 5 live-action Scooby-Doo movies ranked from worst to best

Scooby-Doo movies, ranked

October is the perfect time to watch Scooby-Doo! There are so many Scooby-Doo movies and shows. How do you pick what to watch? I’m always a fan of the animated Scooby movies and shows, but there’s also the live-action Scooby-Doo movies, too, of which there are five. To help you with your Scooby-Doo movie marathon, we ranked all five live-action Scooby-Doo movies from worst to best.

Wait, aren’t there only two live-action Scooby-Doo movies? Well, for non-super fans of the Scooby Gang, there are probably two live-action Scooby-Doo movies that matter, but that’s not the case for Scooby-Doo super fans like me! There have been five live-action Scooby-Doo movies so far, and hopefully, there’s more on the way soon.

Here are the live-action Scooby-Doo movies in order:

• Scooby-Doo (2002) 
• Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) 
• Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009)
• Scooby-Doo! The Curse of the Lake Monster (2010)
• Daphne and Velma (2018)

Let’s get the list of the Scooby-Doo movies ranking started with the worst movie of the bunch so far, Daphne and Velma. 

5. Daphne and Velma

• Release Year: 2018
• Director: Suzi Yoonessi
• Cast: Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Gilman, Vanessa Marano, and more

Daphne and Velma is a great idea, but it’s not executed the way that it could be and should be. Honestly, I would watch a Daphne and Velma spinoff of Scooby-Doo any day of the week. They are two of the best Scooby Gang characters. Together, they have instant tension. Their values are different, but they must work together to crack the case.

In the direct-to-video movie, Daphne, a new student at Ridge Valley High, teams up with Velma to solve a mystery of missing students at the school.

There’s a seed of a good idea here, and the movie hits the traditional beats you would expect it to hit, but it’s just not the same with the rest of the Scooby Gang. With that said, I don’t know that adding a few more characters makes this a better movie. It’s not a great story, not-so-great performances, and it’s a bit of a letdown. If you’re a big fan of Daphne or Velma, you might want to watch this movie, but if you’re not, you can skip it and watch the other four!

4. Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins

• Release Year: 2009
• Director: Brian Levant
• Cast: Nick Palatas, Robbie Amell, Hayley Kiyoko, Kate Melton, Garry Chalk, Shawn Macdonald, and Frank Welker

Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins is not associated with both of James Gunn’s Scooby-Doo movies, which were released theatrically. This is a made-for-TV movie that actually features a pretty solid cast, lackluster animation and effects, and a mediocre story.

With that said, there’s something charming and fun about this movie. It’s more of an origin story, and it introduces fans into a world they already know for the most part, but it’s not nearly as rough of a watch as Daphne and Velma. To me, The Mystery Begins is a good Scooby-Doo movie to watch if you’re interested in a low-stakes and budget version of the Scooby Gang.

In the movie, Scooby and Shaggy, students at Coolsville, join Daphne, Fred, and Velma in a very Breakfast Club-style detention, but there are ghosts in the school. The Scooby Gang forms to help rid the school of the ghosts and clear their names.

3. Scooby-Doo! The Curse of the Lake Monster

• Release Year: 2010
• Director: Brian Levant
• Cast: Nick Palatas, Robbie Amell, Hayley Kiyoko, Kate Melton, Garry Chalk, Shawn Macdonald, and Frank Welker

Scooby-Doo! The Curse of the Lake Monster is the sequel to 2009’s made-for-TV movie, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins. The whole Scooby Gang and cast are back for the sequel, which I actually enjoyed more than The Mystery Begins, although I do love a good riff on The Breakfast Club.

In The Curse of the Lake Monster, you’ll never believe what happens. The Scooby Gang tries to solve the Curse of the Lake Monster. The Scooby Gang has jobs in Erie Point at a country club, but a lake monster interrupts their grand opening party of the season. They try to get to the bottom of the mystery to make sure summer isn’t ruined.

Again, not great, but The Curse of the Lake Monster is pretty decent for a made-for-TV movie.

2. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

• Release Year: 2002
• Director: James Gunn
• Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, Seth Green, Peter Boyle, Tim Blake Nelson, and Alicia Silverstone

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is the sequel to 2002’s Scooby-Doo. James Gunn wrote the script for and also directed Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. As a fan of Gunn’s work, I’m glad Gunn didn’t let Scooby Gang fans down with these two movies.

In Monsters Unleashed, which is set after the events of the first movie, the gang must come together amid unresolved conflict to stop monsters from their past from wreaking havoc on Coolsville.

I love how the movies pulled in so many notorious monsters from the original Scooby-Doo series. If you’re a fan of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, you’re going to enjoy this movie. It’s silly, fun, and just an overall good time. I subscribe to the Pogue motto of “have a good time all the time,” and Scooby-Doo 2 is that in movie form for me.

1. Scooby-Doo

• Release Year: 2002
• Director: James Gunn
• Cast: Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, and Rowan Atkinson

We’ve arrived at the best Scooby-Doo movie on the list! Scooby-Doo premiered in theaters in 2002, and it’s definitely the best live-action Scooby-Doo movie so far.

In Scooby-Doo, the Scooby Gang goes new mystery on a tropical island resort called Spooky Island. They must work together to solve the mystery, despite lots of drama within the group. They each try to solve the mystery alone, which leads to so much drama and intrigue. It’s great tension, although I can see how original Scooby-Doo fans might not enjoy all the competition and bickering.

To me, there’s just something so magical about seeing the Scooby Gang come together. This is an incredible cast, too! How they got all of these stars as the Scooby Gang is so amazing. I’ve always hoped they’d get this cast back together for another Scooby-Doo movie. Well, I can dream.

That’s the ranking of the Scooby-Doo movies! Let us know what your favorite is!