Trailer:
"Somebody Stop Me!"
There is a hint of irony here that even Dark Horse Comics had a good comic book movie before Marvel did. Dark Horse might have taken considerably longer to breaking into the cinema scene, but when it did, it did so in style. I mean that quite literally when it comes to The Mask.
1994 was a good year for actor Jim Carrey. It was the year he was launched to stardom by appearing in three hit films. Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura, and The Mask. Though some may debate this with me, The Mask was the best out of the lot. It also became the number #2 highest grossing superhero film of that time, just behind Tim Burton’s original Batman.
Now to say Jim Carey stars in this and that it is a comedy is almost redundant (no offense to The Majestic and Sunshine of a Spotless Mind). Here he plays Stanley Ipkiss, a down on his luck “Nice Guy” who just can’t catch a break and is constantly taken advantage of. Rather than venting his frustration, Ipkiss suppresses it. Just when his luck hits rock bottom he comes in possession of a strange mask. When he puts it on his suppressed side comes to life and he becomes a “love crazy wild man”.
A brief explanation for the Mask is given near the middle, where the audience is meant to assume that the soul of Loki (god of mischief) is sealed within the mask. But truly the interesting aspect of it is as a tool to look at both the id and ego, and how people got off the wall insane when trying to suppress one side of themselves. The mask is simply the key for letting Ipkiss' frustration, anger, and romanticism free.
Ipkiss is shown very early on to have a certain attraction to classic Looney Toon styled, bombastic cartoons. His attraction to them further manifest itself while as the Mask, becoming practically bugs bunny mixed with Wily Coyote. This lends itself well to the dated CGI. You can forgive it for not always looking that great, because the character in itself is cartoonish anyways.
Ipkiss is a very likable character while the Mask is unhinged and not all together heroic. He many times walks the narrow of villainy. Jim Carey does a terrific job playing both sides of the character. They are equally funny but vastly different in terms of characterization. Carey’s performance in this is just further proof that he is a fantastic actor and not just some bumbling slapstick goon as he many times is typecast.
The villain is an equally down on his luck gangster. Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene) is a mobster who attempts a hostile takeover of his boss’s gang that goes south very quickly. Tyrell is told to get out town, but first he has a bank to rob, a girlfriend to kidnap, a casino to exploit, and the Mask to kill. After the Mask beats him to a bank job, Tyrell is furious and tries multiple times to have him killed and steal the power of the mask. Greene does a good job of making him unlikable even if he comes off as over the top at times. I guess he had to just to make the Mask seem not as bad in comparison.
Of course, thought this is a comedy, it is still a superhero film and as such there has to be a damsel in distress in there somewhere. Who answers the call but Cameron Diaz as a blond bombshell in her first débuted to the big screen. Her first time around she really isn’t given much to do besides look pretty (and gorgeous she is!). She would later go on to further prove she actually has acting chops but her role is cut and dry here. She is purely interesting as an object of Ipkiss’s obsession and less as a person.
Diaz plays Tina Carlyle, the girlfriend of Tyrell who many times assists him with his crimes. She meets Ipkiss when attempting to gain information about the bank interworking. She later also plays a part in the attempt to catch and kill the Mask. She certainly is no do-gooder like Lois Lane but despite that, she is still likable. The only problem is her developed romance with Ipkiss is not all together believable. She talks to him one night on the park bench and then falls for him instantly. There was just no smooth progression.
Then comes the main maker or breaker of the film. This is after all a superhero comedy so….is it funny? And that depends on two things. Do you like classic bombast cartoons and do you like Jim Carey films? If the answer is yes to either of those then chances are that you will enjoy this. If not then this might not be for you. A lot of the jokes hit but a lot miss as well. Overall it is an amusing ride through and it’s worth it just to see Jim Carey going all out.
FINAL RATING: 7/10- (70%)
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