Smokin'!

Rating: 9/10 (21 February 2014)

Originally intended to be a horror film that would replace A Nightmare On Elm Street as New Line Cinema's big horror franchise, The Mask took a comedic turn when director Chuck Russell came aboard, who was ironically the director of A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
Loosely based on the first half of the much darker comic series of the same name, The Mask is about Stanley Ipkiss, a cartoon-loving bank clerk who lets everybody walk all over him. Stanley discovers a strange mask in the harbour, and upon putting the mask on he gains the power to bend reality and his personality is amplified, turning him into a love-crazy wild man with the characteristics of a zany cartoon character.
The intentionally cartoonish visual effects are great, and Jim Carrey's performance fits the character's actions perfectly. Cameron Diaz makes her debut in this film, and never looked better. Peter Riegert portrays a police lieutenant trying to catch the Mask, and does a great job playing the straight man.
I never would've guessed I'd peg the sequel to such a great movie among the five worst films I've ever seen.