"Scooby-Doo! And the Samurai Sword" is actually one of the better of the Scooby-Doo! movies that I have seen so far. Why? Well, sure it does follow the blueprint of the franchise to every letter, but it does differentiate itself somewhat. And also because the storyline was good and a tad better than the usual generic story lines seen in the franchise.If you are just the least bit familiar with Scooby-Doo! then you are already also familiar with "Scooby-Doo! And the Samurai Sword", no doubt about it. So I will not delve too deep into the storyline. But briefly summarized, it is about the Scooby gang venturing to Japan where they stumble upon the mystery of the black samurai.As with almost all other Scooby-Doo stories, then the story contains a fair amount of humor and action. But the setting of modern Japan infused with feudal Japan samurai just made the story all the more interesting.The animation was good, and as was the voice acting. The two most crucial points to an animated movie. And with those two at the right place, "Scooby-Doo! And the Samurai Sword" was on a good path.I was thoroughly entertained by this movie, and think it is definitely a well-worthy addition to the Scooby-Doo franchise. "Scooby-Doo! And the Samurai Sword" has entertainment for everyone in the family, be it young or old.

Scooby-Doo! And the Samurai Sword (2009) ** (out of 4) The gang travels to Japan so that Daphne can take part in a karate tournament but before long the entire thing is ruined by a group of ninjas who plan to bring back the ghost of The Black Samurai. Obviously the gang tries to determine what's really go on and what led to the supernatural being able to take over. It seems most fans of Scooby-Doo are mixed on some of the latest movies to be made and I must say that this one here didn't win me over. My kid, on the other hand, really enjoyed it but the idea of Scooby and ninjas in the same movie won him over before the thing even started. With that said, when it was over he immediately wanted to watch it again so obviously the film worked for its target audience. I just really didn't enjoy the characters and I thought the villain was also rather lame and didn't add up to much. Like most of the recent movies this one here wants to be more funny than anything else. While some of the jokes worked (like the gang and their catchphrases) the majority of them just fell flat for me. The animation is quite good throughout the picture and I really liked the visual look of the villain as well as the darker tones given to most of the scenes that he was in. I really wish the characters had been better written and this is especially true for Fred, Daphne and Velma. They just never really came to life and for that matter Scooby and Shaggy weren't at the top of their game.

As people may know already I am a huge fan of Scooby Doo, the original(and best) show Scooby Doo! Where Are You? and The Scooby Doo Show being two of many shows to shape my childhood. The various incarnations after have ranged from surprisingly good(Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated) to terrible(Shaggy and Scooby Doo! Get a Clue).And I do like the movies a great deal, especially Witch's Ghost, Goblin King and Zombie Island. Alongside Goblin King and Abracadabra Doo, Samurai Sword, even with the flaws, is one of Scooby's better recent efforts.The movie is too short, the plot rather haphazard and meandering and the music rather uninspired and rushed in places.Complaints aside, the animation is great. The colours and backgrounds have a colourful and fluid quality to them, and the character designs are thankfully not at all crude. The writing and jokes are amusing, and the samurai fighting is well choreographed and maintains interest. The characters, lead and support, are likable and fun and the voice acting is excellent with nobody really I would consider bad.In conclusion, an entertaining movie. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The Good:* My son (4 years old) liked it (hence 5 stars) * It was visually well done * It has ninjas, samurai, sword fighting, etc * It doesn't have Scrappy Doo (that HAS to be worth 3 stars alone!) * Frank Welker does a good job as Fred and Scooby Doo. Nobody can replace Don Messick as Scooby, but Don does about as well as anyone could.The Bad:* The music in this movie is, somehow, WORSE than the incredibly bad chase songs that they introduced in the 2nd season the original series. (Prime example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nd37AkFsVI) * The plot is all over the place, but that's almost in keeping with the original series * Joe Sichta (writer/producer) is apparently infatuated with technology that he felt the need to have it DOMINATE a story about a Samurai legend. In case you think that I'm exaggerating, he has Velma build an EMP generator powered by a bicycle to defeat a band of ninja robots. 'Nuf said! * Daphne is now a martial arts master (wha' wha' what!?) * Casey Kasem sounds to old and tired that he is barely recognizable. Only when you hear that trademark Shaggy laugh does he remind you of the good old days.The skinny:Overall, it's action-packed enough for young kids to enjoy. The kids will enjoy it but it doesn't have the spirit of the original series that the adult Scooby fans are hoping for.