‘Velma’ is a hit, despite being officially rated lower than ‘Dragon Ball: Evolution’ on IMDb

To say that “Velma” was not well received is a very, very understatement. Velma Dinkley’s animated ‘Scooby Doo’ spin-off premiered on January 12 on HBO Max and just two episodes were enough for audiences to make their verdict. The series, produced by Mindy Kaling, who also voices the protagonist in English, is generating brutal negative reviews, to the point of becoming one of the worst series on the Internet.

The series is an irreverent modern reinterpretation that is aimed at an adult audience and tells an alternate origin story of Velma, the mastermind of Mystery Inc., who finds herself immersed in the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, while trying to solve a series of murders of teenage girls. And this is where the controversy arises. the character was reimagined as an openly queer woman of Indian descent, while Daphe is Asian (and also queer) and Shaggy is black; changes that have annoyed a certain sector of the public, which has not hesitated to express its disappointment on social networks.

Criticism from audiences, who also didn’t take well to the series’ humor and consider the Scooby Gang’s reinvention disrespectful to the original classic, led to ‘Velma’ dropping to a low on Rotten Tomatoes, with just a 6% rating from the public (against a tepid 56% of critics). More significant is the case of IMDb, where the series has broken a record previously held by what is considered one of the worst films in history: ‘Dragonball Evolution’, as ComicBook.com points out. The live-action “Dragon Ball” is one of the worst rated films on IMDb, an average of 2.5/10 from 76,000 ratings, but “Velma” managed to go even lower, with a rating of 1.3 and 25,000.

For its part, ‘Dragonball Evolution’ was released in 2009, just at the beginning of the new era of social networks, and was a resounding flop at the box office, as well as one of the most battered films of its time. The adaptation, directed by James Wong and starring Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum and James Marsters, received very negative reviews and grossed just $58.2 million worldwide, which led to the cancellation of the franchise that was planned around it. Since then, “Dragonball Evolution” keeps popping up when it comes to the worst adaptations in history.

A strong premiere for HBO Max

Despite the strong animosity with which it was found, ‘Velma’ is a hit with audiences (whether it’s just out of curiosity or out of hatred, people watch the series). With its first two episodes, the spin-off of ‘Scooby Doo’ has become Outstanding Original Animated Series Opening for HBO MaxNews that Kaling shared on his social media thanking viewers, and the platform would already be developing a second season.

Thanks everyone for watching! ? @hbomax @velmatheseries pic.twitter.com/QoZ6AIiPtB

? Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) January 14, 2023

The first two episodes of “Velma” are now available in Spain via HBO Max and the remainder of the season premieres weekly on the platform. In addition to Kaling, the series features the original voice cast of Constance Wu, Sam Richardson, Glenn Howerton, Jane Lynch and Melissa Fumero.