The first film by director Gore Verbinski, MouseHunt, starring Nathan Lane and Lee Evans, comes to 4K UHD from Kino Lorber with a gorgeous new remaster.
The Production: 4/5
MouseHunt opens with the funeral of Rudolph Smuntz (William Hickey, in his last film performance). His sons Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (Lee Evans) are pallbearers. Their grip slips, causing the coffin to drop down the church stairs and eject their father’s body into an open sewer. If things couldn’t get worse, they’re left some random objects, but a deed to an old house from a revered architect. With both facing money and career problems, they hope to renovate the house and flip it for enough to live comfortable. But there is a mouse with other plans in mind. A mouse that leaves a trail of destruction behind it.
I last watched this film maybe about 25 years ago and loved catching it on television. Rewatching these many years later, this hasn’t lost its charm with me. Nathan Lane and Lee Evans are hilarious in this, both in their performances and the physicality of their comedy. Lane, of course, is still a well-known actor, but I was surprised to find out Evans had retired about a decade ago and was mainly a stand-up comic. The comedy in this film (written by Adam Rifkin) often takes on a Looney Tunes or Home Alone sort of tone, with some great pratfalls and other mayhem. I also see a lot of Laurel and Hardy in the brothers. There’s one bit where Ernie does a tie wave just the same way Oliver Hardy would. There’s also a great supporting turn from Christopher Walken as an exterminator.
What makes MouseHunt even more special is that for being more of a “kid’s movie” the production values are exquisite. The main set of the house as it’s gradually destroyed and the moody lighting (shot by Phedon Papamichael) make this anything but some normal movie. I especially loved all the stunts, often looking painful and funny when elaborate. Perhaps if you’re not that fond of that sort of comedy, it’s not for you, but I had such a smile on my face for much of the film. And the chemistry between Lane and Evans as brothers really works wonders here, especially when there’s some surprisingly heartfelt moments.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Only making it to Blu-ray in 2021 from Paramount, MouseHunt now arrives on 4K UHD from Kino Lorber. While the Paramount Blu-ray was very good, I feel that both the 4K UHD with Dolby Vision HDR and the included Blu-ray are excellent upgrades over the previous iterations. Presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and scanned from the original 35mm camera negative, I was surprised how great this film looks. A fine mist of film grain remains, textures like clothing look detailed and sharp. Colors tend to be more muted by design (I remember even on TV this had sort of an “overcast” look) without looking oddly manipulated. I don’t think I saw a single speck or scratch anywhere. Even the effects shots look great, if only just a little softer than most of the film. The HDR is especially lovely for the nighttime scenes, really making shadows stand out. And the few explosions do look quite lovely (one particular shot looks absolutely horrific to the actors!) The 4K UHD disc (BD-100 for a 98 minute film!) has zero compression issues to my eyes and the Blu-ray fares just as well. Overall one of the best 4K UHDs I’ve seen recently!
Audio: 5/5
Much like the excellent 4K remaster, the original theatrical 5.1 track is presented as DTS-HD MA 5.1. Incredibly active with lots of surround activity, this is a great track to show off. Being a 1997 film, there’s zero issues with fidelity or levels in any way. While I’m sure an Atmos remix would be fine, I’m happy with the original track. There is also a lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo track included, as well. Optional English SDH subtitles can be selected, as well.
Special Features: 3/5
Audio commentary by Joe Ramoni (of Hats Off Entertainment)
Deleted Scenes (14:29 SD) – All rightly cut, but highlights are a few more bits with Walken and an alternate ending. These appear to be from a workprint.
Theatrical Trailers (1:26/2:04)
Additional trailers for Kindergarten Cop, Half-Baked, Kingpin, Wayne’s World 2, Career Opportunities, Brain Donors, and Mystery Men
Overall: 4.5/5
MouseHunt holds up as a fun, highly physical comedy. The excellent new 4K Dolby Vision master presentation is a real knockout and with a few supplements thrown on, this is a must-have for fans of the film and worth checking out.
Current Home Theater setup (as of 01/2019):
Monitor:
Samsung 60" LED 4K UHD (UN60J7090)
Players:
Primary - Sony UBP-X700 UltraHD Player
Secondary - Sony BDP-S5500 Blu-ray 3D Player (all region modded)
Sound:
VIZIO 5.1 Soundbar SB-3851C0
Other Players:
PS3
Apple TV (4th generation)
3-D Glasses:
Samsung Active Shutter (4x)
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