Madcap Lunacy At Its Finest (The Mask (DVD))

Member Name: wampyrii

Product:	The Mask (DVD)
Date:	08/05/01 (153 review reads)
Rating:

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It is undoubtable that when this movie was released, Jim Carey was at the height of his comic career. The boy could do no wrong, but since then he has been on something of a decline - in my opinion at least. Me, Myself and Irene sucked, so did The Truman Show and overall, Carey's style has become a little wearing.

However, whatever your feelings on the subject, nothing can take away from his past performances, and The Mask is still as good as ever. Carrying on where Who Framed Roger Rabbit left off, The Mask features cartoon imagery laid over the live action sequences to produce one of the best movies special effects can buy. Unfortunately, the producers obviously spent all their money on the special effects and completely ignored the need for a decent plot or anything else. In fact the plot is so shallow you'd be hard pushed to say what the hell it was all about...but here goes anyway...

Stanley Ipkiss(Jim Carey) is one of life's great losers. Therefore when leggy blonde Tina Carlyle comes into the bank where he works and demands to be served by him personally he is naturally over the moon. However, it transpires that she only wanted to gain photographs of the vault so that her gangster boyfriend Dorial Tyrel(Peter Greene) can come back later and rob it. Things look pretty bleak for Stanley, that is until he stumbles across a strange looking object in the river, which turns out to be an ornate ancient mask. Compelled to put it on loser Stanley is transformed into the Mask, an extrovert lunatic cartoon character, complete with bright green faced, enormous tombstone polished teeth and a yellow suit, with the ability to do anything, be anything and go anyway he damn well pleases. Nothing is beyond the wise cracking alter-ego, far removed from Stanley's own miserabe life and so he sets to work wooing Diaz and getting the money back...for himself.

The manic genius of Jim Carey, complimented by even more mania generated by the c
artoon imagery, makes this one loud, flashy, explosive movie. There is rarely a moment of calm, with Carey's own jumpy, neurotic personality at play when he is in the form of Stanley Ipkiss and then all hell letting loose(i.e. Carey is let off the leash) when he becomes the Mask. Bells ring, buzzers buzz, lights flash, in a cacophonany of sound and images which whilst doing little for a headache, means that you can't take your eyes off the screen in case you miss something. It also means that in the rare moments when there is little going on, that the movie falls completely flat. Carey is masterful throughout, letting his full repertoire of silly faces, voices and general lunacy flow as the special effects go wild about him. Its not really worth talking about anyone else as this is solely a star vehicle for Carey, but they all play their part adequately. Diaz looks suitably sultry in the femme fatale role for example but no one is allowed too much air time when so much effort has gone into Carey and the effects.

The movie was deservedly a hit, and (on the back of Dumb and Dumber and Ace Ventura)launched Carey up the scale of Hollywood's biggest draws to second behind the incomperable Tom Hanks in 1994. Its a shame that a little more substance couldn't have been included as that would have made for a far better movie, but then I guess some films are just made to be eye candy and little more. Well, as eye candy goes, its damn good eye candy and is easy to recommend as one of the most entertaining comedies out there.

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