Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Shout misses an easy field goal.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 2, 2025

Released to coincide with their regular 4K edition, Shout Factory also offers this divisive 4K Steelbook variant of Tom Shadyac's almost-classic 1994 comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. It's actually divisive for two reasons: not only are there some odd goings-on with the HDR transfer, but the Steelbook itself is one of the more garish designs in recent memory, even giving some of Warner Bros.' covers a run for their money. It might appeal to Steelbook fans... but for most, this is a stopgap release until Arrow (hopefully) steps in with an international 4K edition soon.

For a synopsis and appreciation of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, please see Brian Orndorf's review of Shout's regular 4K edition, Martin Liebman's even more glowing coverage of Sony Pictures' 25th Anniversary Blu-ray or, going even further back, Michael Reuben's equally positive take on WB's 2013 Blu-ray. As my score indicates, I'm not quite as enthusiastic about this film as everyone else (and it's not related to any PC-related issues, I might add); Ace Ventura is still pretty damn funny in spots, but in hindsight just hasn't aged as well as Carrey's other big hits that year: Dumb and Dumber and especially The Mask, which incidentally just earned an outstanding new 4K edition from Arrow.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray edition.

Speaking of score variances, you'll notice that my eyebrow-raising 2.5/5 4K score is noticeably lower than Brian Orndorf's 4/5 in his review of the regular 4K edition. That's not an accident... and while I'll freely admit that Shout Factory's 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision transfer isn't without a few merits mentioned below, I feel that it's a noticeably substandard effort from the studio in terms of color value and brightness levels. Simply put, for whatever reason the UHD disc looks noticeably dimmer and less much saturated than the included remastered Blu-ray; even sunny outdoor scenes, which now appear as if you're viewing them through light-responsive glasses. Skin tones often lean towards a clay-like brown and once-bold primaries, such as Ace's Hawaiian shirts, are now much more muted than before. Black levels look off, too, with certain colors now swimming in a sea of deep grays that further contributes to the 4K's overall sense of muddiness. While this much less vibrant presentation isn't a total loss (some scenes actually look a bit more natural to my eyes), these trade-offs aren't worth it by a long shot. When it's off, it looks way off.

It's a shame too, because almost everything else about the 4K presentation advances on the included remastered Blu-ray's 1080p/SDR presentation: image detail is a bit tighter (at least not on color-dependent objects), the film grain is better resolved with less noise and no macro blocking, and contrast levels again give the image more of a smooth and film-like appearance. But after a dozen switches between the discs -- which, even when the differences are as obvious as these, are tougher to itemize than expected -- I mostly preferred the included Blu-ray, which is a textbook definition of damning this 4K disc with faint praise. Some might disagree, or they may even reach some sort of bearable middle ground after tweaking their TV settings, but this is in no way an ideal UHD presentation. (Just for the record, Shout Factory has reportedly insisted that this was a studio-approved transfer and thus will not be corrected.)

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For details about the included DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio mixes, please see Brian Orndorf's review of the regular 4K edition, whose 4/5 rating was also mirrored in those older reviews as well. Finally, we agree on something!

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in glossy Steelbook packaging that's substantially brighter and more vivid than the 4K transfer. I'm probably in the minority in that I don't hate this design; it's certainly unusual, but in some ways nicely matches the film's off-kilter tone. The front cover depicts the top half of our hero's head with an elusive albino pigeon perched above, while the back cover features Snowflake leaping over a goalpost with a few woodland critters hiding below. It's all set against a vivid composite of colorful foliage and a blue sky along with title text and credits. I do get slight AI vibes here (or at least AI-assisted, since there's a signature on the back cover), but it's at least more visually interesting than a bunch of floating heads. Inside, you'll find a more traditional splash image of Ace's post-climactic fight with the Philadelphia Eagles' mascot Swoop, while both discs sit in overlapping hubs on the right side.

As for the on-disc extras (such as they are), they're identical to the regular 4K edition and listed below.

DISC ONE (UHD movie disc)

• Audio Commentary with director Tom Shadyac

DISC TWO (Blu-ray movie disc)

• Audio Commentary with director Tom Shadyac

• Theatrical Trailer (2:04)

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tom Shadyac's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was a smash hit in 1994 and deserves recognition for being Jim Carrey's launching pad to bigger and better things with The Mask and Dumb and Dumber later that year. It's not quite a classic in my opinion but still serves up plenty of laughs, and for that alone it's worth resurrecting with a well-rounded UHD edition. Unfortunately, Shout Factory doesn't deliver the goods with either their standard 4K release or this Steelbook variant: both feature questionable HDR presentations and a disappointing pair of old extras, which means that most fans should just hang on to their Blu-rays until Arrow possibly steps in with their own import-ready UHD effort.