MouseHunt 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

MouseHunt 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 12, 2025

Gore Verbinski's "MouseHunt" (1997) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic Joe Ramoni; deleted scenes; and vintage trailers for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Catch me if you can!

As the final credits of Gore Verbinski’s MouseHunt appeared on my screen, I could not help but wonder what might have been its target audience. Kids and teenagers? Okay. The tiny mouse quickly evolves into a cute troublemaker, and up until Christopher Walken’s exterminator appears, it behaves like a legitimate star of a comedy that kids and teenagers would have a great time with. But there is a lot that happens after that, with the tiny mouse creating chaos that a much older audience would appreciate. Admittedly, the funny in the chaos is not of the type that would have instantly impressed fans of zesty comedies like There's Something About Mary and American Pie, but it would not fit into a safer comedy like Home Alone, either. Indeed, there is unmissable sexual innuendo in the chaos and, at its peak, undeniably raunchy footage as well. So, what was the target audience for MouseHunt exactly?

In its current form, MouseHunt is not a bad film. It is silly and entirely predictable, but it remains coherent and works. However, it very much looks and feels like an edited version of a different film, which undoubtedly would have been superior. It is easy to tell because the material in it that kids and teenagers would enjoy is pretty good, and the remaining material that an older audience would appreciate is not bad either. However, the former is oddly overlapped by the latter, and there is just not enough of the latter. In other words, the screenplay that was handed to Verbinski should have been reworked.

The question that immediately arises is what would have been the best version of the different film that Verbinski would have directed? As shot, MouseHunt tells a story that is very, very simple. After their famous father (William Hickey) dies and his will is read, his sons, Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (Lee Evans), have their lives turned upside down, and while trying to reset them, the two move into an old house that now belongs to them. Much to their surprise, the old house turns out to be a precious property worth millions of dollars, but also the home of an astonishingly intelligent mouse that refuses to leave. Ernie and Lars then begin hunting the little fella and trying to renovate the old house so that they can make it even more attractive to several already very excited potential buyers. This story is good enough for a conventional comedy aiming to impress only kids and teenagers. However, it would be essentially yet another variation of Home Alone.

The same story is not good enough for a zestier comedy aiming to impress an older audience. However, it won’t need a lot of work to adjust and expand so that its characters and their adventures become attractive to an older audience. Indeed, there is already decent material with Lane and Evans revealing what this zestier comedy would look like, and Walken, if unleashed, will be great in it, too. Debra Christofferson and Camila Soeberg are providing plenty of easy to read clues as well. While obviously there is more work that needs to be done for this film, it most likely would have been the better option.

Adam Rifkin, who penned MouseHunt, is probably the right man to do the screenplay for the new and different film, too. For round two, Rifkin only needs to be told that there will be no restrictions and encouraged to be as creative as possible.

MouseHunt 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of MouseHunt is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-22 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #25-37 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master struck from the original camera negative at Paramount Pictures. In native 4K, MouseHunt can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it in its entirety with HDR. Later, I spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

I do not have any previous experience with MouseHunt, so I do not know how it may have looked in the theater, or how it has been treated by previous home video releases. However, on my system, MouseHunt looked so impressive, I feel very confident stating that its fans will be thrilled with its transition to 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray after it was redone in 4K. All of its visuals boast hugely impressive delineation, clarity, and depth. In fact, select visuals, typically close-ups or still images, are so striking that they resemble digital photographs. (This is true for the 4K and 1080p presentations of the film). Color reproduction is outstanding, too. Obviously, there is a lot of contemporary stylization that produces unique visuals, but it is not difficult to tell that the people who finalized the 4K master made sure that color reproduction and balance are as good as they can be. I compared various parts to see how the HDR grade enhances the visuals in native 4K. While the 1080p presentation looks great, there is an undeniable difference in quality. In native 4K, the stylization work, and especially the unique management of light and different ranges of shadows in the old house, are clearly more effective. A few darker sequences can appear a tad flattened, but I do not think that delineation is impacted in any meaningful way. I liked what I saw a lot. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks very healthy as well.

MouseHunt 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The relentless action must be experienced with the 5.1 track, which is great. In fact, at times it performs like a brand new Dolby Atmos track, creating dynamic intensity and contrasts that are very impressive. Yes, the soundtrack was clearly created to impress, but I think that this 5.1 track is created with great care and attention as well. The dialog is always clear, sharp, and exceptionally easy to follow.

MouseHunt 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Joe Ramoni. Apparently, MouseHunt is one of Ramoni's all-time favorite comedies, so his observations are, unsurprisingly, very positive and enthusiastic. There is interesting information about the visual style of MouseHunt, some of the darker overtones that are channeled through its humor, and the different casting choices.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Joe Ramoni. Apparently, MouseHunt is one of Ramoni's all-time favorite comedies, so his observations are, unsurprisingly, very positive and enthusiastic. There is interesting information about the visual style of MouseHunt, some of the darker overtones that are channeled through its humor, and the different casting choices.

• From the Cutting Room Floor - presented here are several deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for MouseHunt. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Teaser - presented here is a vintage teaser trailer for MouseHunt. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

MouseHunt 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

MouseHunt attempts to appeal to the largest audience possible, and this is why there is content overlapping in it that is a bit awkward. I suspect that a darker and zestier version of it would have been vastly superior, but Gore Verbinski keeps its current version coherent and gives the main characters enough freedom to impress. It is a decent film. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces a magnificent new 4K makeover, prepared at Paramount Pictures, that looks quite impressive on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.