'The Mouse Trap' Reviews: Film "is a rote, plodding slasher movie that has essentially nothing to do with Steamboat Willie"

         On August 6, Shudder released 'The Mouse Trap', which has received a negative reception from critics alongside an Audience Score of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes. The latest victim of an iconic character becoming public domain, Mickey Mouse takes center stage....just not in the way one would expect. In the film, a worker at a theme park during the late shift and her friends see their night go from jovial to tragic when a killer dressed as Mickey finds them. The ensemble cast includes Sophie McIntosh, Simon Phillips, Nick Biskupek, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, and James Laurin. But what did the critics say?

Photo by Georgia Vagim on Unsplash

        Josh Bell of Crooked Marquee says, "Once the 1928 Mickey Mouse cartoon short “Steamboat Willie” entered the public domain, it was inevitable that some enterprising indie filmmaker would exploit it for a horror movie. It was just as inevitable that the desperate first effort would be largely worthless, which is exactly the case with this rote, plodding slasher movie that has essentially nothing to do with “Steamboat Willie.” Writer Simon Phillips plays the manager of an indoor amusement center who’s hit by some sort of glitch while watching “Steamboat Willie,” which possesses him with a homicidal version of Mickey’s mischievous spirit and grants him Mickey’s well-known powers of, uh, teleportation. Mainly it just means a dude in a Mickey mask stalks and kills a group of annoying friends throwing an after-hours party. The kills are tame and uninspired, and the nonsensical plot is padded out with a redundant framing sequence, only to end so abruptly it seems like the filmmakers just gave up. Even a grinning symbol of corporate greed deserves better."

       Brian Orndorf of Blu-ray.com notes, "It’s “Blood and Honey” all over again, with limited effort put into the final production, which is caught between becoming one big goof and one colossal bore. “The Mouse Trap” merely exists to collect a quick buck from the curious." Adding, "Supporting characters flood “The Mouse Trap” in the second act, with the gang looking to celebrate Alex’s birthday by assuming control of FunHaven. The writing doesn’t take the process of introductions seriously, throwing many faces and relationships at the viewer, which creates confusion, even in a picture as basic as this. What’s semi-clear are feelings Marcus has for Alex, unable to make the first move on his longtime crush, and she’s not willing to help him. Ryan is a jerk and also wants Alex for himself, but he spends most of his time drinking and being hostile to others. Other partygoers are merely around to be killed by Mickey, including a couple off to have sex in a kid zone jungle gym, becoming the first to meet the beast and his supernatural ways. He’s a hard mouse to catch, with strobe lighting his kryptonite, working with blades and magical powers to dispatch the birthday party gang."

        Dempsey Pillot of The Disinsider says, "As reminiscent as the plot is to every other teen slasher ever made, there is a lot of fun to be had with some of the comically creative kills. It’s not just some of the situations the characters are in when they are picked off, but the manner in which the killer strikes. For example, there’s an entire sequence where the killer takes on a group of four hockey “bros”. In the real world, they would easily dominate him, but in this world, he bests them with the agility of the Karate Kid, and with moves reminiscent of any ’90s Steven Seagal movie. Without giving away too much, one of the most memorable kills involves a VR headset. It’s virtually hilarious for several reasons. "

       Jim Morazzini of Voices from the Balcony writes, "Directed by Jamie Bailey (This Was America, What Lurks Beneath) from a script by Phillips, The Mouse Trap makes its biggest mistake at the start and frequently keeps going back to it as the film pauses for more scenes of the cops interviewing Rebecca who seems to know a lot of things there’s no way she could know. Apart from being something of a spoiler, the interruptions keep killing the plot’s momentum in an attempt to be a slasher take on The Usual Suspects."