Fellman's Movie Reviews

The Mask is a 1994 superhero comedy based on the 1991 comic book series. It stars Jim Carrey, Peter Reigert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, and Cameron Diaz. The plot revolves around Stanley Ipkiss, played by Carrey, finding a wooden mask that turns out to be magical. When he puts the mask on, it turns him into a cartoonish trickster with the ability to manipulate himself and his surroundings.  

I don’t like The Mask. Apparently, it was a successful movie when it came out. I don’t remember it being all that popular. Maybe I was too young. Who knows. But I don’t think it’s all that funny. There’s some funny scenes in it. And it’s mildly entertaining, for what it’s supposed to be. But it gets old quickly. Or maybe I’m just used to seeing Jim Carrey doing other stuff that when I see him do something like this, it makes me kind of sad that this is what he had to start out doing. Which is funny, because Ace Ventura is still hilarious. 

The special effects come from, you guessed it, Industrial Light and Magic. Which is funny, because there were almost as many practical effects in this movie as there were CGI effects. What with the dance sequences and various other things that weren’t computer generated. There must have been a second special effects company just for the non-CGI stuff. 

I think the effects are part of what kind of bothers me about this movie actually. It’s a weird character. He’s supposed to be funny. But he’s not really that funny. He’s supposed to be violent. But he’s not really that violent. He’s just kind of half-assing everything he does. He’s second rate at best. More interested in his lame quotes and Looney Tunes imitations than doing anything entertaining.  

They had the right idea going with Jim Carrey for this role, though. He’s probably the only person who could play somebody like this. He’s easily the best physical comedian there is out there. So, that’s the one thing I will give to the makers of this film. Even though I wasn’t a fan of the movie itself, I’m a big Jim Carrey fan. So, it’s kind of a wash on that. 

So, yeah. Go and see The Mask. I’m not saying it’s a great comedy. But a lot of people liked it, and you might too. Just don’t expect to be doubled over laughing. It’s not that funny of a movie. It’ll make you chuckle here and there. It’s not a total loss. But I wouldn’t watch it more than once. And you probably won’t either. And as always, keep on watching, with a smile on your face…