My Movie Review on The Mask (1994)

Aloha, my friends.

This is your all-out friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of Jim Carrey's "The Mask".

Here's the rundown of it:

Stanley IpKiss is a bank teller who's really nice but can't seem to stand up to others or have his way against those who bully him.

One night, though, Stanley discovers a mysterious mask in the ocean, and when he takes it home and puts it on...he transforms into a wildly-zany and green-faced maniac with supernatural abilities.

His shenanigans not going unnoticed, Stanley is hunted by the police, lead by the cynical Lt. Mitch Kellaway, and mafia officer Dorian Tyrell, because IpKiss inadvertently foiled his plan to rob the city back by already stealing the money.

Will the police or Tyrell ever be able to catch Stanley? Or will they be embroiled in a cat and mouse chase forever?

What's more, will Stanley ever realize that he doesn't need the mask in order to not be a pushover and be cool?

This film was something that I wanted to analyze since the very beginning of my reviewing days. I knew what I thought of it, but I needed time to form it in words first, which required me to see it more than once.

Seeing it again recently after so long, I'd like to start by saying that I can see why it was so successful and was credited for kickstarting Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz into fame.

As the MASK would say, it's...

For instance, the direction by Charles Russell, the screenplay by Mike Werb, and the story by Michael Fallon and Mark Verheiden, were extremely spot-on.

In many ways, the film did feel pretty straightforward, especially around the beginning. But, it also showed itself to not be as simple as one would suspect, because it carries a complexity that helps it be interesting. The comedy that the film had was nonstop hilarious and fun to watch, particularly the jokes revolving around Stanley. Plus, there was a genuine amount of emotion and feeling that helped the movie be alive, and it was marvelously character-driven like the filmmakers clearly cared about the characters.

Speaking of the characters, character development, and performances of the cast, they were all fantastic! Among the things I deeply enjoyed was how passionately into it the performers obviously were with their characters and material, and they were even accompanied by tons of entertaining dialogue to boot.

Jim Carrey, of course, had all of the best moments in the film. Whether his character was wearing the mask or not, he truly knew how to make every moment count and get a person to laugh. Stanley himself was likewise a lovable character, and the development he had throughout the film was remarkable.

Cameron Diaz did a wonderful job portraying Tina Carlyle, if I may add. When I first saw the film, I thought that Tina was going to be a mere glamor-girl. I didn't at all expect the character to develop an actual crush on Stanley and to have such tremendous growth throughout the film, and Diaz took on the part like no one but her could play the character.

In addition, Peter Greene portrayed the character of Dorian Tyrell marvelously. I love how the character had also developed into an even more intimidating force to be reckoned with as the film progressed.

Finally, the music that was composed by Randy Edelman was ear-catchingly melodious. The way Edelman was able to capture the humorous spirit of the film was extremely entertaining, and whenever there was an emotional or serious moment, his music lifted itself to a level that was undoubtedly compelling.

In conclusion, "The Mask (1994)" is a hilarious film. It not only showcases Jim Carrey at his very best, but it holds a great amount of creativity, thought, and fun to make it worthwhile.

So, I rate "The Mask (1994)" a solid five out of five stars.