Mouse Hunt

Mouse Hunt
by Gore Verbinski

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DVD details

• DreamWorks

DVD Reviews of Mouse Hunt

DVD Review: Good Movie, Fantastic Disc
Summary: 5 Stars

"Mousehunt" is a story about the brothers Smuntz, Ernie and Lars; two brothers who always seem to be down on their luck. Ernie has just lost his job as a restauraunt owner; Lars, well, Lars didn't even have a job. Then, one day, their father, who owned the biggest string factory around, dies. He leaves the brothers the factory and an old house. Not terribly impressed with what they get, the brothers suddenly find out that the old house is worth millions; the only problem is one little mouse that won't give up his house so easily.

I didn't catch "Mousehunt" till it was released on video, and, to my suprise, I really enjoyed it. It has somewhat of a warped sensibility and tone for a "kids" film, but I found it has a certain enjoyable edge. Imagine if the Coen Brothers("The Big Lebowski") directed a kids film and you'll understand into what territory you're headed. Performances are generally very good as well from British comic Lee Evans("There's Something About Mary") and Nathan Lane, who is amazingly much more funny here than in his failing sitcom, "Encore, Encore". It may not be for the youngest of kids, but there are many out there who I think might find this "different" kids film funny. The work done bringing the mouse to screen(a mix of real, anamatronic and FX mice) is also very well done. As much as I liked the movie, I also marvel at its technical work.

The Disc:

Picture: So good. So very good. "Mousehunt" is absolutely, positively goregous looking on this disc. "Mousehunt" is one of those titles that will definitely, or should definitely, set a standard for excellence in picture quality. There are absolutely no artifacts that I could see and the pictures contrast and clarity are outstanding; the shadows and light in the indoor scenes are also breathtakingly transfered to disc. Color saturation is perfect; images are stunning and vibrant throughout. Dreamworks has done an outstanding job.

Audio: Superb as well, bringing Alan Silvestri's wonderful score to digital life. Sounds are picked up wonderfully, from the mouse scattering across the floors or through the walls as well as scenes like the string factory explosion in the beginning. Even when the two brothers are smashing the house as well as themselves to get to the mouse, it's all brought to life wonderfully and richly.

Menus: Really impressively done. Dreamworks has put together a very cute main menu with Lane's eyes following the mouse as it scoots across the screen and back. Scene selection is animated and when you go to the next scene, a piece of cheese comes flying at you not only from the screen but through your speakers.

Extras:Again, a very good job. Both the teaser and full theatrical trailers are included here as well as a selection of deleted scenes(6 in all). What I really liked about the deleted scene menu is it tells you who the star is that is featured in the deleted scene as well as a sentence that gives you a general idea what it's about. There are also the usual texts about each actor as well as notes about the production. But, as with the other menus, I really liked the design.

Box Note: The box also has the little notes bar like the Universal discs have to tell you what kind of sound, disc, etc. Also on the box are notes about the special features. Well done.

Languages: English(Dolby Digital)/ Spanish(Dolby Surround)/ French(Dolby Surround) Subtitles: English Captions/ Spanish Subtitles.

Overall: Dreamworks was the last major studio to jump into DVD, but I don't mind. You know why? Because, maybe they weren't like this, but here is what I imagine after watching this disc: workers at Dreamworks scanning the internet late into the night seeing what people do and don't like; going through mountains of discs, educating themselves as to what is acceptable and what isn't acceptable, doing research upon research as to what makes a good disc. Then when actual production started, I imagine the staff going over and over and over the final product, making sure it's absolutely perfect.

A disc represents who you are. Dreamworks has made it clear that they are proud and that they stand behind their films. One of the best things I can say is that I was so impressed by this disc, it almost made me consider buying the other Dreamworks discs(I *REALLY* disliked both "Peacemaker" and "Small Soldiers") just to see if they were as good as this disc. A job well done.

Running Time:1 hr, 38 min. Region:1 Chapters:20 Disc: Double sided(Pan/Scan on one, LTBX on the other) Rating:PG

Grades: Picture:**** Audio:**** Extras:*** Menus:**** Film:***

Overall:****

This definitely has me excited for future Dreamworks product, like a possible "Antz" special edition as well as "Amistad" and "Paulie."

Review Originally Appeared On The Website, "A Guide TO Current Film."

A. Webmaster, A Guide To Current Film

Description of Mouse Hunt