If you weren’t a regular moviegoer in 1994, then it must have been a confusing year, thanks to everyone around you peppering their speech with “Alriiiiiiighty then” catchphrases. Jim Carrey’s breakout year at the box office started with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and at long last, that comedy classic is releasing on 4K Blu-ray on July 29. The Limited Edition Steelbook version is available to preorder for $33 at Walmart or $36 at Amazon.
Amazon has sold out of preorders once already (at full price), but if it remains in stock this time, we’d expect the retailer to match Walmart’s price prior to launch. That said, it’s also possible that the price-matching will go the other way, and Walmart increases its price to $36.
$33 at Walmart | $36 at Amazon (was $45) | Releases July 29
The 4K Blu-ray edition of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was created using the original 35mm camera negative. It supports Dolby Vision with HDR10 and DTS-HD 5.1 Surround Sound. There aren’t any new bonus features, but the audio commentary with director Tom Shadyac is included on both the 4K Blu-ray disc and remastered 1080p Blu-ray disc. The latter should offer better visual and audio quality than the original Blu-ray release since it is based on the 4K transfer. The Blu-ray disc also has the theatrical trailer.
The original 1997 laserdisc release of Pet Detective had three episodes of the Ace Ventura animated series, but unfortunately those episodes have never been included with subsequent Blu-ray releases.
The steelbook case features original artwork of Ventura’s signature hairstyle and a pigeon worth $25,000 resting on Jim Carrey’s head.
$40 | Releases July 29
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is also getting a standard edition 4K Blu-ray release on the same day. Though it’s officially called a “Collector’s Edition,” make no mistake that the collectible version is the aforementioned Steelbook Edition. This edition includes a standard plastic case and cardboard sleeve with one of the promotional images for the theatrical release.
At the time of writing on May 21, this edition is actually more expensive than the Limited Edition Steelbook at both retailers.
Ace Ventura was one of the biggest comedy films of the mid-1990s, thanks mostly to Jim Carrey’s wild performance as the titular pet detective. While the movie does have some content that is very dated when viewed through a modern lens, it’s still a laugh riot thanks to the constant flow of one-liners and a solid mystery at its core. A sequel would arrive a few years later and it saw Ventura travel to Africa–much to the relief of several dozen Buddhist monks–but this one hasn’t received a 4K Blu-ray release yet. You can find it on Blu-ray, or as part of an Ace Ventura Blu-ray double feature.
To complete the set, you can also pick up Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr. on DVD. We’re not saying you should avoid it, but this prequel can induce a level of cringe so bad that it generates its own gravity. It’s a soulless cash-grab at best, and if you watch it, you might need to buy a new Blu-ray player because you’ll likely fling yours through the nearest window after watching just a few minutes of this movie.
In related Jim Carrey news, you can pick up Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on 4K Blu-ray right now. The threequel saw Carrey star once again as Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his character’s grandfather, Gerald Robotnik.
There are two different steelbook case designs to choose from: Sonic and an Amazon-exclusive Shadow variant. You can complete the Carrey trilogy with Sonic the Hedgehog Bonus Stage Steelbook Edition for $28.30 (was $30.46) and the Sonic 2 Steelbook Edition for $18.45 (was $29).