4K UHD Review: Kino Lorber’s Mouse Hunt (Special Edition) 

Lee Evans, Nathan Lane, and Christopher Walken to head-to-head with the most cunning of foes in Mouse Hunt.  The cult family classic comes to 4K UHD thanks to Kino Lorber. 

 

The Film 

As Alien is to Sci-fi Horror, is what Mouse Hunt is to Family Comedies.  A film that is even more surprising when you realize that this is Gore Verbinski’s debut feature (like Alien director Ridley Scott, before him had directed hundreds of commercials before his feature film debut).  

Mouse Hunt is a Masterpiece.  There are few films that you can honestly call from top to bottom, head to stern – perfect at what they do.  Mouse Hunt is one of those films.  A film perfectly pitched in tone, intent, and style.  The tale of two brothers, Ernie and Lars Smuntz (Nathan Lane and Lee Evans), who inherit their father’s string factory and dilapidated home.  As money troubles besiege both who are literally homeless, a sliver of hope comes in the possible fortune they can make off the home, the missing home designed by famous architect Charles Lyle LaRue.  Set to make millions if they play their cards right, Ernie and Lars have one problem. 

A Mouse.  

Not just any mouse, but a mouse that is the mouse to end all mice.  What begins as a small task escalates quickly into an operation of doomsday proportions with the brothers employing hundreds of mouse traps, a cat named Catzilla, and Ceaser the exterminator (Christopher Walken) to no avail.  As the day closes in on the auction that would net the brothers millions, the unstoppable force seems to be a mouse they just can’t get rid of. 

Yes, Mouse Hunt is as dark and as funny as one can imagine.  The screenplay by Adam Rifkin is a live-action Looney Tunes short written by the Coen Brothers.  The screenplay is aided by a sharp visual style that Verbinski and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael shoot even the most pedestrian of scenes with.  Though Mouse Hunt is neither boring nor exhausting, but rather a pitch-modulated 98-minute experience.  Working with editor Craig Wood, Verbinski understands when to slow everything down, meeting Ceaser the exterminator, and ramping everything to a fever pitch, the brothers shotgunning the floor for maximum entertainment.  

The performances are equal to the film’s manic energy.  Nathan Lane and Lee Evans as the Smuntz brothers are a well-oiled machine of comedy.  Lane’s contained/uncontained anger and Evans’ rubber face and limbs are the comedic scale that brings even the most outrageous moment to grounded life.  Even in the moments of pure lunacy, the duo never loses sight of the humanity of the situation.  Though the weirdo perfection of Christopher Walken’s Ceaser is as strange and Walken-esque as one can hope for, and is the highlight of the film. 

Though Mouse Hunt is darkly comedic, ultimately it is a gentle and kindhearted film at its core, though one must get through the rotted layers to find it.  Though those rotted layers are some of the more devilishly delightful wicked pieces of physical comedy in the last twenty years.  Yes, Mouse Hunt is a “family” film, but a family film that The Addams’s would adore.  

The Transfer

The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master by Paramount Pictures – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is one of the best transfers of the year.  The flawless image has no scratches, blemishes, or artifacts throughout the run time.  Paramount has wisely opted not to recolor grade the film, keeping director Gore Verbinski and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael’s green-hued wintertime odyssey intact.  The result is a dark but luminous image that radiates off the screen, and even in the darkest of moments (there are quite a few), the details within the blacks are astounding.  Mouse Hunt illustrates the work that Kino (along with partners like Paramount) is doing with 4K UHD releases is some of the best, if not the best, of Boutique Labels currently.

The Extras

They include the following;

DISC 1 (4KUHD):

• NEW Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni

DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):

• NEW Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• From the Cutting Room Floor: Deleted Scenes (14:29)
• Theatrical Teaser (1:26)
• Theatrical Trailer (2:04)

The all-new Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni opens with the fact that he was able to spend time with screenwriter Adam Rifkin, who gave him an overview of the inception of the film, the development of the screenplay, and anecdotes from the production.  Some of the details include a discussion of the unusual visual and comedic style for a children’s film; a discussion of the career of Gore Verbinski – including his career in ads and music video and how that contributed to him being hired for Mouse Hunt; the various casting what-ifs of Lars and Ernie – including Jim Carrey and Nicolas Cage; the work and career of Nathan Lane; the work of William Hickey – who passed away shortly after the film was completed and the film is dedicated to him; how screenwriter Adam Rifkin came to write this project after having to leave Barb Wire – where the concept came from, how they sold the screenplay to DreamWorks as one of their first projects; a discussion of the history of the formation of DreamWorks; some of the issues that Verbinski went through with the studio to push through his vision – and the push to the timeless feel that Rifkin initially had written in the script; a failed Cat in the Hat movie at DreamWorks written by Eric Roth starring Tim Allen; the various VFX and practical FX to bring the mouse and various set pieces to life – including a TV show that featured the film’s FX work; the critical response to the film; an anecdote about Rifkin meeting Steven Spielberg; the animatronic work done by Stan Winston’s Group and the work they did for the film; how closely hued the spec script was to the finished product; the work of production designer Linda DeScenna; the work and career of Lee Evans; the work of composer Alan Silvestri; the inspiration took from the work of Terry Gilliam, Hal Ashby and Coen brothers; how the war between Katzenberg and Eisner during their Disney tenure effected the way that DreamWorks made films both live action and animation – how this film was affected; the work of Christopher Walken in the film; a larger discussion throughout about Rifkin’s contributions and also anecdotes about the production and behind the scenes; a larger discussion of the various locations and set locations used by the production; a discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; and much more.   Ramoni provides an informative and insightful look into this uniquely dark family comedy.  

From the Cutting Room Floor: Deleted Scenes (14:34) – a collection of 8 deleted scenes.  Extended Ceaser Scenes; Extended Ending; Extended Ernie Hospital Scene; Extended Party/Auction Scene; Lars and April Auction Scene; Lars meets the Zeppco brothers; Factory Employees take a picture. These are collected in no order but can be navigated by using your Next and Back Chapter Stop buttons.  

Theatrical Teaser (1:26)

Rounding out the special features are trailers for Mouse Hunt (2:04); Career Opportunities (2:15); Wayne’s World 2 (2:17); Mystery Men (2:24); Half Baked (1:54); Kindergarten Cop (2:03); Kingpin (1:28); Brain Donors (1:29)

The Final Thought 

Kino Lorber continues to deliver amazing 4K UHD updates to classic films.  Highest Possible Recommendations!! 

Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD Edition of Mouse Hunt is out June 24^th