“Scooby Doo” — Here’s a phrase I never thought I’d write: Matthew Lillard gives a great performance in “Scooby Doo.” Lillard, who is usually included in Freddie Prinze, Jr. films because he’s the only actor in Hollywood who can’t upstage Prinze, was born to play Shaggy. “Freaks and Geeks” vet Linda Cardellini is equally great as Velma, and “Buffy’s” Sarah Michelle Gellar gives Daphne a personality she lacked in the ‘toon. Prinze doesn’t do the same for Fred, which is probably why they cast him to begin with. The Scrappy-bashing is a cruel touch that this film didn’t need, but the real disappointment is that Scooby Dum doesn’t make an appearance.
—John Hansen, NDSU Spectrum, Aug. 27, 2002