Daphne is relevant...she has a place that is more than bait, more than Fred's arm candy, more than a damsel in distress....in fact, Daphne is Bruce Lee.

Daphne has Entered the Dragon.

The juxtapose of her character is just too awesome to pass by. I can't remember seeing a Daphne like this before. I likely won't see one like this again.

For that reason alone it's worth watching...but like so many others, the ending doesn't exactly live up to the start and falls flat compared to the build up.

The plus side is, even at the end, Daphne has Entered the Dragon. So despite the lackluster finish that seems of so common with the Scooby Doo movies, you still get to see Daphne doing her Bruce Lee impression in a film that wonderfully parodies the master's break out film.

"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.

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