The Mask Review

by Craig Good (good AT pixar DOT com)
August 1st, 1994

THE MASK
A film review by Craig Good
Copyright 1994 Craig Good

    THE MASK just burst onto summer screens. It will be interesting to watch and see how it does at the box office. From me it gets a mixed, if mostly positive, review. The film has many assets, and not a few liabilities.

    The production had the guts to go with the grotesque design of the character itself, and I can't help but wonder how many people will want to see a whole movie with *that* face in it. On the other hand, the movie is clearly at its best when the mask is on. When it comes off, the energy drops and the audience has time to fidget and notice the frayed curtains around the stage. When it goes back on, hot dang. Nobody notices anything except the great gags on the screen. Some of them are so well timed as to pull most of their humor from the basic element of comedy, and others are simply audaciously funny.

    Star Jim Carrey is himself a mixed blessing. His gift for broad physical comedy serves him well when he is The Mask, but in his Dr. Jekyll state it's obvious that, as nice a guy as he is, he just can't act his way out of a wet paper bag. I mean, watch him try to be sincere and *then* come tell me how bad Keanu Reeves is. A pleasant surprise is the actress who plays the bombshell (I'm sorry I didn't catch her name in the credits, but I expect we'll all know it after this movie). She acts rings around Carrey (no big deal) and manages to project some charm through her ho-hum role. And that's the trouble with all of the other characters--they're just not interesting. The simpleton sidekick to the detective is a bright spot, but for the most part we just want Jim to put the mask back on so we don't have to spend more time with these people.

    The film's greatest assets are the art direction and the stunning effects. THE MASK paints the frame in solid, comic book colors and strong graphic shapes. It almost looks as though someone dipped DICK TRACY in a little of THE CROW. Both the design and, more importantly, the animation of the cartoony transformations are top notch. On the downside, the film wants to pay homage to Tex Avery, but doesn't quite understand how. When The Mask becomes the Tex Avery wolf who used to pop his cork at the Preston Blair girl, he's not staged in profile. Instead, he's seen three-quarter view and in a darkly-lit setting. This robs an otherwise flawless 3D adaptation of the graphic impact Avery had in his films. (My animation bias isn't showing, is it?)
    The story is also a mixed bag. Many aspects of how the mask works and how it changes the life of a spineless bank clerk are addressed in a solid and entertaining manner. Other basic questions are just ignored. The spine of the story contains no real surprises, although I have to admit that a lot of things happen which I just did not see coming. Any sort of a surprise in a fluffy summer film is a pleasant one as far as I'm concerned.

    So, if you've already seen TRUE LIES, wander on down to the theatre. Try to see THE MASK in a good one: the sound effects editor had the best sense of timing and one of the best senses of humor of anybody involved in the project.

--Craig

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