Scooby Doo and the Alien Invaders [VHS]
A lot has changed since the original '70s-era gang of Scooby-Doo fans  gave way to today's followers of the hipster mystery cartoon series. For one,  nowadays kids don't have to wait around for the half-hour Saturday morning show- -they can pick up a copy ofScooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders. All the  familiar elements are here; even the groovy green Mystery Machine makes a  comeback, but it isn't as reliable as it used to be. At the outset ofAlien  Invaders, it breaks down, leaving the crime-solving crew stranded in a  creepy desert town overrun by aliens. From there, the plot unwinds faster than  Scooby can down a box of his namesake snacks. A band of swollen-headed purple  and green space guys--Zoinks--send the terrified teens scrambling for cover, but  it's not long before the quick-witted gang figures out that there's a team of  bad guys behind the bug-eyed masks. That's not to say, though, that real-life  aliens aren't also roaming the streets, as Shag and Scoob (who hook up in an  unprecedentedScooby-Dooromance with a peace sign-wearing babe and her  equally hip dog) discover in the course of clearing out of the phony aliens'  hair-raising path. To longtime viewers, the love angle seems unsettling; it  steals from the tightness of the mystery team. Still, with so much creepy fun to  get caught up in, it's a minor complaint. Scott Innes, the modern-day voice of  both Shaggy and Scooby, nails both parts, and Jennifer Love Hewitt fans also  will want to tune in--she sings theScoobytheme song.--Tammy La  Gorce