Watch: The Mouse Trap (2024)
Review :
The Mouse Trap (2024)
The Mouse Trap is yet another entry in the wave of low-budget films capitalizing on characters that have recently entered the public domain. This time, the infamous Mickey Mouse, whose debut in Steamboat Willie became public domain in January 2024, takes center stage. Joining the ranks of other repurposed characters like Winnie-the-Pooh and Sherlock Holmes, Mickey is now free to be used in any project—much to the delight of indie filmmakers hoping to ride on name recognition.
Originally titled Mickey's Mouse Trap, the film quickly attracted attention as a "slasher film featuring Mickey Mouse." However, the title was likely altered due to legal pressure from Disney, and now it’s simply The Mouse Trap. From the outset, the film acknowledges its exploitative premise with a cheeky "Star Wars"-style opening crawl, humorously distancing itself from Disney. The sarcasm sets the tone for what’s to come: a self-aware, micro-budget horror movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The movie is primarily the brainchild of two filmmakers, who not only directed, wrote, produced, and edited it but also starred in key roles. While their dedication is evident in the technical aspects, including steady camerawork and surprisingly vibrant lighting, the film falters in almost every other department. It’s clear they aimed to create a "real" movie despite their limited resources, but ultimately, The Mouse Trap does little more than slap a Mickey Mouse mask on a killer and call it a day.
The most glaring flaw is the lack of a coherent story. The plot—or what passes for one—follows nine friends locked inside an enormous arcade, where they are stalked by a man wearing a rubber Mickey Mouse mask. That’s essentially all there is to the narrative. With no substantial plot or character development, the movie bizarrely attempts to present itself as a mystery, but without anything meaningful to unravel. Flash-forwards to the sole survivor, Rebecca, being questioned by detectives serve little purpose, especially when it’s obvious who the killer is from the start.
While The Mouse Trap dabbles in slasher tropes, it falls short in delivering memorable kills or any real suspense. Most of the violence happens off-screen, and the killer’s weapon of choice, a basic kitchen knife, lacks creativity. The film also suffers from uneven pacing and random character actions, as characters frequently split up for no apparent reason, presumably to manufacture tension that never really materializes.
Adding to the frustration, the movie abruptly ends without any resolution, skipping over the deaths of several characters and leaving viewers with an unsatisfying post-credits scene that teases a sequel. This epilogue introduces a Shawnee Smith-like accomplice for Mickey, making even less sense than the killer’s unexplained ability to magically teleport between locations.
In the end, The Mouse Trap is a scatterbrained effort with poor writing, uneven acting, and cheap production values. While the idea of a Mickey Mouse slasher flick might sound intriguing, this film fails to live up to even the most modest of expectations. It’s likely to be forgotten as quickly as Mickey teleports across the arcade.
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