Today is the 6th anniversary of Scooby-Doo! and
Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery!! I have not seen this movie since it came out in
2015, on the 10th anniversary of the day my dad died. I remember walking
through Walmart with tears in my eyes because that day, heck the whole
month of July, was really hard for me. But I was determined to find the movie! (Oddly,
I wasn't able to find my copy and I had to buy a new copy just so I could
watch it again and write this review.)
I have pretty much claimed that this is my least favorite
movie, but I could not remember exactly why. It has been 6 years since I saw it, but I
know that there was a reason...
Near the beginning of the movie, the gang are in the Mystery
Machine dressed up like Kiss, all but Fred anyway. He wasn’t a fan of Kiss. The
Ascot Five was more up his alley! It was kind of cool to see them dressed up and wearing the makeup. The cartoon intro of Kiss playing a show and the gang
walking around aimlessly was kind of weird to see because the gang wasn't
reacting to Kiss at all in the intro. They felt disconnected from each
other. It was kind of weird.
Before I continue with the movie, let me just say that I
like Kiss' music. I'm not a huge fan, but I have seen them in concert, and I
enjoyed the show, with the exception of meeting Sebastian Bach from Skid Row at
the show. It was at a time when they did half the show in makeup and the other
half without. They were showy and larger than life in the makeup and without it
they were laid back and played an acoustic set. It was kind of like night and
day.
Back to the movie…Can it be any more over the top? Confetti
bombs every time Kiss enters and exits, the costume change sequence, their
own theme park, the way they basically glow and the super powers that they
had. Not to mention the huge guitar ship (which was also really cool) that came out of the ground when they
started playing I Was Made For Lovin’ You and the Ferris Wheel being a portal
to Kissteria. It was clear in this movie that Kiss (or at least Gene Simmons) have some huge egos!
I can get past the egos. I was enjoying the music and the over-the-top
storyline, sort of. It was rubbing me the wrong way that Gene Simmons character, The
Demon, was mean to the gang, especially Scooby and Shaggy. Pretty much as soon
as they met, Gene Simmons told the gang that Kiss were the best mystery solvers,
and the gang should scram. Simmons said to Scooby “Beat it mutt before you dent
my armor” just because Scooby was trying to give him a hug for saving their
lives.There was a point when I thought that Gene Simmons was
finally warming up to Scooby and Shaggy. He told them that the secret to breathing
fire was swallowing your fears. Shaggy and Scooby ended up getting cornered by
a statue that the Crimson Witch brought to life, and they thought about what
Gene had said, and they swallowed their fears, and they were able to breathe fire
and destroy the statue! It was their shining moment! Nothing could ruin this fo…no
wait! Gene Simmons could ruin this for them, and he did! He showed up, gave
them a thumbs up and he said, “well done, pathetic scum!” Let me type that
again…Gene Simmons said to Shaggy and Scooby “WELL DONE, PATHETIC SCUM!” And that
was the line that ruined this entire movie for me!

That line and the inappropriate flirting between
Daphne and The Starchild had me not very thrilled about what I was watching. The gang are teenagers, Daphne being about 16 and a minor. At the
time the movie was released Paul Stanley (The Starchild) was 63 years old.
63!!!! So we have a 16 year old and a 63 year old
flirting throughout the whole movie, and no one thinks this is a problem? There
was no outrage over this…but everyone practically lost their minds when Daphne was
upset about being a size 8 in Frankencreepy. Daphne and The Starchild kissed at
the end of this movie. Not just a little peck either.
Yes, I am aware that this is a cartoon. However, I don’t think inappropriate
relationships have any place in the Scoobyverse or in kids shows all together. We have talked a lot on the Scooby Panel about relationships within the gang and I have said that I don't like them at all. I felt like this crossed the line though. I can handle a Daphne/Fred relationship or Velma/Shaggy, but this Daphne/Starchild relationship creeped me out!
One other things annoyed me about this movie, though it was kind of funny at the same time. All the Kiss product ads! I know Gene Simmons will put the Kiss logo on just about anything to make money, so I got that it was a joke to put the ads all over, but it made me feel like I was watching a very long infomercial about Kiss products.
My original assessment of the movie stands, and now I remember why I felt that way. I do tend to hold the unpopular opinion about this movie,
and I’m ok with that. I just can’t allow anyone to call Scooby and Shaggy pathetic
scum! Or have Daphne taken advantage of by a 63 year old man! These things go against everything I believe in!
What did you think of the movie?