Plot: What’s it about?
“Alllllllllllllrighty then!”
Yes, believe it or not it’s been just over a dozen years since that phrase worked its way into our pop culture. When “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” came out, I remember seeing the poster for it and thinking “oh, that’s the white guy from ‘In Living Color’”. And that was about all I thought of it. I mean, really, a movie about a pet detective? Are you kidding? The guy looks like a cartoon character and I almost felt sorry for Carrey doing a movie like this. Then it came out on video about six months later and I finally sat down to watch it. I don’t exactly remember the day, but I remember that I had to pause the movie several times because I couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard. You might say that the movie struck a chord with me and the rest, as they say, is history. The movie is stupid, with paper thin characters, semi-good acting (Dan Marino didn’t quit has day job until several years later) and a pretty insane plot. But that’s what’s so darn fun about this kind of movie – check your brain at the door and enjoy the ride.
For what it’s worth, here’s the plot: Snowflake, the mascot for the Miami Dolphins, has been kidnapped and after exhausting all of their resources, Melissa Robinson (a “pre” Fridnds Courtney Cox) decides to enlist the help of Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey). Ventura, eccentric to say the least, has some rather unorthodox methods of doing his job. He’s uncovered a stone from a football championship ring and is systematically trying to find which ex-player wants with Snowflake. Ace and Melissa are on the trail of the crooks and only time will tell if they have what it takes to rescue Snowflake Just in time for the Super Bowl (the Dolphins in the Super Bowl, that might have been the best joke of all)!
The movie is stupid humor and it’s what makes the whole thing work. This was more of a vehicle for Jim Carrey to showcase his unique physical talent as opposed to showcase his acting (though he’s been doing that more and more lately), but whatever the case – it worked. This launched Jim Carrey to international superstardom and even a dozen years later, he’s still near the top of his game. The casting of Courtney Cox couldn’t have been better either. She landed the role in “Friends” later that Fall (though I’m not sure if it was as a result of this movie) and we all know how that turned out. If you’re one of the few that hasn’t seen this movie, it’s fun and even kid-friendly at points. Carrey is hit or miss with some folks, so if you like him you’ll love it and if not then he’s got a pretty diverse slew of movies out there.
Video: How does it look?
I have to admit that I’ve never seen this movie in a widescreen format. I missed it at the theaters, and the VHS and LaserDics I had were full frame as well as the original DVD release (one of the very first on the format). I remember in an online chat with Warner a few years back when someone asked about a widescreen version of this movie in the works. The answer was “No, is there a demand for flat comedies in a widescreen format?” Obviously the answer by us fans was “Yes” and now we’re given “Ace Ventura” in widescreen…finally! And now for the bad news…it doesn’t look that great. Dingy is about the best word I could use to describe how this looks. There appears to be a awful lot of dirt on the print and though artifacting isn’t really a problem, I was expecting so much more. The movie takes place in Miami, which should look great on film, but even some of the outdoor shots just seem to have the bright vivid colors that I was expecting. While it’s certainly not unwatchable, I was expecting much more from Warner here.
Audio: How does it sound?
Also added is a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that bumps things up a notch from the previous Surround mix. While “Ace Ventura” won’t set any records for dynamic audio, it does have a few moments that really stand out. Some of the football scenes sound noticeably better and though the surrounds don’t play a big part in the movie, they do make their presence known from time to time. I did compare some scenes to my old DVD and this is better than the Surround track, but it’s not really a night and day difference. Unlike the video, though, this is better than the previous release.
Supplements: What are the extras?
In terms of supplements, you get the exact same ones that were on the original DVD. The same audio commentary with director Tom Shadyac and the theatrical trailer. If you don’t already own the movie, this would be the one to get but the sub par video quality and so-so sound don’t really scream “re-purchase”.
Also, I do have to note that this isn’t the extended cut that has been out for years. It’s the original theatrical cut, so we’re missing out on some dozen minutes of deleted scenes that were added into the movie on a home video format.
