Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Mystery Men 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 25, 2023

For those of you who may consider the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise to be more or less sui generis, even if it is (was?) based on comic books dating back as far as 1969, we submit for your approval Mystery Men, which admittedly was itself sparked by a comic book enterprise. Much like the beloved Guardians, the Mystery Men are a ragtag bunch of would be superheroes, and while there's no anthropomorphized raccoon in their assemblage, some of the characters may seem like they could quite easily matriculate over to the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe with little to no trouble. Mystery Men is probably more of an all out gonzo comic enterprise than the admittedly often giggle worthy Guardians films, but it arguably has a much more eclectic cast than the Guardians franchise, with a gaggle of performers including Geoffrey Rush, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, Tom Waits, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Eddie Izzard and Greg Kinnear.

Producing studio Universal put out its own 1080 release of this film over a decade ago (!), and Michael Reuben's Mystery Men Blu-ray review provides a great rundown of plot dynamics, as well as a list of supplements and Michael's reaction to the technical merits of that release.

Mystery Men 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

Mystery Men is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Kino Lorber Studio Classics, an imprint of Kino Lorber, with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. It's worth noting that Kino Lorber's 1080 disc in this package also sports an obviously upgraded transfer when compared to the older Universal 1080 release, which Michael wasn't overly impressed by in the video department. The back cover of this release offers a brief "brand new HDR / Dolby Vision master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, and even casual observers will probably notice a marked uptick in detail even in the 1080 version offered here, let along the 4K UHD disc. While Michael mentioned Universal's tendency to filter its releases, just compare screenshot 21 in Michael's review with the first screenshot I've uploaded to accompany this review for just one example of what I personally consider to be a major upgrade to both the 1080 and 4K UHD iterations Kino Lorber is offering. The Universal release may have been filtered, but grain to my eyes still looks kind of noisy and grimy (at least against bright blues skies), while these new versions offer a considerably tighter and to my eyes more naturally organic appearance, even if at first glance grain may be more subliminal, so to speak. The biggest change here, though, is probably the markedly increased clarity and especially the vibrancy of the palette. Michael found Universal's release to be lacking in the palette department, but this Kino Lorber release pops quite spectacularly, and Dolby Vision and/or HDR in the 4K rendering offer a really sumptuous accounting of an almost carnival like atmosphere in terms of the hues offered. I often find it interesting that HDR (in any of its "formations") doesn't necessarily mean "warmer", and for just one example look at the purple dresses the women are wearing in the early cacophonous party scene. In Kino Lorber's 1080 version they're at least bit hotter looking than in the 4K UHD version, but overall I found the 4K UHD's reproduction of the palette to be more nuanced and effective.

Mystery Men 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mystery Men features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. As Michael mentions in his review of Universal's release, which itself offered only the surround option, the 5.1 track has some nicely consistent engagement of the rear channels in particular, along with at least a burst of two of LFE to keep the subwoofer active. As both Michael and the crew member (User Review) mention, the sound design here is probably not the "whirlwind" that typically accompanies more recent superhero fare, but there's still a lot of activity in at least the more chaotic scenes that create a suitably immersive listening experience. Michael mentions composer Stephen Warbeck in his review, but as one of the new supplements on this disc gets into, the scoring was willingly or not (from Warbeck's perspective, that is) a "team effort". One way or the other, the often anachronistic music also resides quite comfortably in the side and rear channels throughout the presentation. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Mystery Men 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary by Director Kinka Usher

1080 Disc

• Audio Commentary by Director Kinka Usher


• We're the Other Guys: The Making of Mystery Men (HD; 23:39) offers some arguably self serving background with director Kinka Usher. There's a rather interesting User Review of this title (see the appropriate tab on the main listing page) by one of the crew who might argue with some of Usher's assertions about his abilities.


• I'm a Superhero, Mother (HD; 12:01) is a fun look at the costumes of the film with designer Marilyn Vance.


• Inside Champion City (HD; 9:27) focuses on effects with VFX Supervisor Todd Tucker.


• Disco is Life (HD; 8:33) features film music historian Daniel Schweiger discussing the score(s) of Mystery Men. Vis a vis my references to Guardians of the Galaxy above, Schweiger kind of humorously refers to this film as "Watchmen for losers", which may be a meaningful referent as well.


• Spotlight on Location: The Original Making of Mystery Men (SD; 17:40) is an archival featurette with some fun candid footage.


• Deleted Scenes (SD; 19:40)


• Mystery Men Trailer (HD; 2:24)

Trailers for other Kino Lorber releases are also offered.

Additionally, packaging features a slipcover.

Mystery Men 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mystery Men may be the very definition of a so-called "cult classic", and if you're part of that cult, my hunch is you'll be more than satisfied with this release. Technical merits are solid and Kino Lorber has also assembled some really appealing new supplements to augment the previously produced bonus content which is also included here. Recommended.