Sadly Over-hyped

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

'The Mask (1994)' has some surprisingly deep allegorical undertones and a nice message about being yourself, and your best self at that, to overcome the problems you previously thought someone in a mask would be better suited to solve. It also has a real underlying darkness, which shouldn't be shocking to anyone familiar with the much harsher and more cynical source material, which contrasts nicely with the cartoony powers possessed by the wearer of the eponymous facial facade. This is one of my favourite comedies because the humour comes from such an honest place, our hero first hiding his insecurities and then them being unceremoniously released in sometimes creepy ways, and the story itself works incredibly well without relying on its laughs as a crutch. It does all this while using its incredibly inventive and wonderfully realised rubbery, real-life toon aesthetic to brilliant effect. This is a real highlight of Carrey's career. 9/10

The MaskThe 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.

RELEASED IN 1994 and written & directed by Chuck Russell based on Mike Richardson's comic, "The Mask" stars Jim Carrey as a bank clerk who is an extraordinarily nice guy, but too much of a pushover when it comes to confrontations. He inadvertently finds a mask of Loki, the Norse night god of mischief and, when he puts it on, he becomes his true self, the person he is WITHIN: a cartoony romantic wild man. Peter Greene plays the head antagonist while Peter Riegert plays the police lieutenant who investigates the havoc in the wake of The Mask.Jim Carrey's breakout year was 1994 when his three hugely popular movies hit the theaters: "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," this one, and "Dumb and Dumber." The following year he appeared in "Batman Forever" and the sequel to "Ace Ventura." "The Mask" easily ranks with his best films. When I first saw this flick in the late 90s I didn't know anything about the Dark Horse comic, so when Carrey's character first puts the mask on I didn't know what to expect and so was thoroughly taken aback by the kinetic flurry of thrills and laughs.Cameron Diaz appears on the babe front and the film really highlights her winsome appeal and ravishing figure, not that I was ever enraptured by her (then again, I don't NOT like her either). The song & dance routine featuring The Mask & Tina (Diaz) at the Coco Bongo nightclub is knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark entertainment. Remember those great song & dance routines in Coppola's "The Cotton Club" (1984)? Parts of "The Mask" are like that, but with a silly, comedic and over-the-top dynamism. The stunning Amy Yasbeck also has a significant secondary role (be sure to watch the deleted scenes to discover what happens to her character; it's hilarious in a black humor way and should've never been cut from the movie).THE FILM RUNS 101 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles & San Pedro Bay, California. WRITERS: Mike Richardson (comic), Mike Werb (screenplay) and Michael Fallon & Mark Verheiden (story).GRADE: A

OK, I get it. Dumb and Dumber is one of the funniest movies of all time. Ace Ventura Pet Detective is juvenile fun. So it's no big shock Hollywood greed-heads would want New Jerry Lewis in a movie where he can basically do his shtick and they can make a billion dollars. But painting Carrey's face green doesn't make him funnier. It just makes him creepier. Sure, there's some clever stuff in here, like his ''dying'' scene where he mimics Hollywood westerns, among other things, before parodying Sally Field's Oscar acceptance speech. Clever. Not funny. But clever. I could see this being the greatest movie of all time if I were 7 years old. But as an adult I didn't find anything funny. Not one laugh. Not. One. Depending on one's point of view, this movie's huge profitability cemented Carrey as the new comedy superstar. Lots of funny movies and $20-million paydays followed. But for my money, this is his worst ''comedy.''