The Mask

This showcase for the talents of Jim Carrey is adroitly directed, viscerally and visually dynamic and just plain fun.

Carrey's jolly green mug carries Mask. [29 July 1994, p. D1]

The result is a movie character who seems half real, half animated.

The funniest moment comes when Carrey mimes the effects of the Mask without special effects.

The results are easy to watch, though awfully familiar and simpleminded.

Mike Werb's screenplay -- just a rickety framework for Carrey's consummate clowning -- lacks a propelling plot and has zip in terms of secondary character development.

An astonishingly lazy and perfunctory effort that does little to realize his (Carrey) comic potential.

I truly enjoy this film. It isn't the best movie ever or anything like that but it is still a hugely enjoyable comedy in my opinion. And I also think that along with Liar Liar and The Truman Show that The Mask is one of Jim Carrey's better movies. Here Carrey's role is split, his mild mannered banker and a wild, crazy superhero. Either way, he excels in this film, he is completely in his element and completely unpredictable. He is helped by the special effects, which are utterly amazing, a truly imaginative and sophisticated visual style that worked so well here. Here because of the special effects, Carrey moves around at whirlwind speed, pops his eyeballs and swaps parts of his anatomy for his cartoon equivalents and you know what it is jolly funny. There are so many good scenes though my favourite was the Bugs Bunny-style Cuban Pete routine. Also superb are the script, which is as funny and as imaginative as the film itself and the suitably tongue in cheek music score. Not to mention the adorable pet dog, underrated Peter Reigert, Peter Greene's Dorian and gorgeous Cameron Diaz. Overall, hugely enjoyable, funny and imaginative, so much better than its sequel Son of the Mask which I disliked so much I try to forget it exists. 10/10 Bethany Cox

i want him here tomorrow, alive.. The Mask The Mask brings out everything alive from the cartoon and the comics with the help of Jim Carrey who is in tremendous form on his perfect comic timing.

I never thought it could happen. Jim Carrey (star of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) upstaged -- and not once, but twice! While it's true that The Mask is another vehicle for the rubber-featured modern-day amalgamation of Jerry Lewis and the Three Stooges, this time around Carrey has some competition, and there are a number of scenes where he ends up playing second fiddle. The special effects are, for the most part, rather impressive, but they're as frequently guilty of overwhelming the star's performance as complimenting it. Nevertheless, if you think Carrey has an expressive face, wait 'til you see him with the mask on. Eyes pop out and jaws drop -- literally. ILM goes to work with their own version of live-action animation whenever anyone dons the mask. Good costumes and make-up serve only to enhance the computer-generated visuals. And, even as the audience's attention is arrested by the work of the effects wizards, there's still room for a canine scene-stealer. Milo (whose real name is Max) is the perfect foil for Carrey's goofiness and -- yes -- there are occasions where his animal antics divert the spotlight away from his two-legged co-star. Carrey, meanwhile, is playing a split role: mild-mannered Stanley Ipkiss and his superhuman alter-ego, the Mask. Stanley is a shy, unassuming man who works in a bank and lives with Milo in a small apartment. One day, following a terrible bout with Murphy's Law, Stanley finds a curious-looking mask floating amidst some debris in a river. Later, at home, when he finally gets around to trying the mask on, Stanley learns that this isn't some archeological curiosity. It has power - the power to transform. From the moment the mask clings to his skin and his face turns green, Stanley's personality undergoes a radical shift. Insecurity is replaced by flamboyance. Physically, there seems to be little that he can't do, from twisting his body into a pretzel to taking a bullet in the chest or forming a tommy gun out of a balloon. While wearing the mask, Stanley makes a comment about becoming a superhero, but he's really interested in one thing: Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz), a voluptuous nightclub singer who works for a local gangster (Peter Greene). Following a bank robbery (to finance his wooing), the Mask discovers that a cop, Lt. Mitch Kellaway (Peter Riegert), is hot on his trail. And it's not that difficult a trail to follow. After all, how many lime-faced bandits are there who move like the Warner Brothers cartoon Tasmanian Devil? Carrey plays Stanley with surprising restraint, giving his zaniness free reign only when the mask is on. In some ways, it's a Clark Kent/Superman thing. Stanley and the Mask might share the same body, but they're very different. One is a typical nice guy who finishes last. The other is Robin Williams' genie from Aladdin come to life (Carrey provides dozens of whirlwind impersonations). As a comedy, The Mask is genial, but its recycled plot is far too thin for the film to succeed as either an adventure or a spoof. "Comic book" and "cartoon" are two terms that come to mind for describing this movie. Neither is intended to be pejorative, but each conjures certain apt images. For me, Ace Ventura was too much concentrated Jim Carrey. In The Mask, the forceful personality is diluted. The star is mostly-subdued except during those off-the-wall bursts of energy that accompany the appearance of the Mask. The film is entertaining enough -- in a light, undemanding sort of way -- but more than the combined efforts of Carrey, ILM, and Max are demanded to camouflage the seams and holes still apparent in this production.

The actors are really good and like always Jim Carrey's overacting is pretty **** scenario is interesting but some of the jokes were not that funny and the movie was far too childish.

Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Amy Yasbeck, Peter Greene and a whole bunch of other actors star in this comedy slash romance but it's more on the comedy side if anything. Stanley Ipkiss played by Jim Carrey finds a mask and finds out it has extraordinary powers and turns him into a goofy greenfaced lunatic who tries to be funny and clever and he falls in love with Cameron Diaz's character. Peter Greene plays the villain and he has his badguy crew of gang who work for him. The Mask isn't that funny, it's mildly amusing but looking at it now it's rather trash and personally I found Ace Ventura: Pet Detective funnier and sure Jim Carrey has his eyeballs coming out of his head, his tongue rolling out and does some silly things and has fun in The Mask. Others find it funny and some is pretty funny but too cheesy for my liking. Only part of the movie I liked was Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz at the end of the movie kissing and obviously Milo the dog. The rest ****.