Jim Carrey's Role

Rating: 10/10 (7 January 2012)

For the few Dark Horse Comics that have been adapted onto the big screen, this one was done right. Along with Dumb and Dumber (1994) and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), this is the other film that really had the public tracking down who in the world was Jim Carrey. In my opinion, just like how the character of Lara Croft fit Angelina Jolie really well, the character of The Mask is the perfect role for Carrey. From what we've learned about Carrey, he is a living cartoon and still loves to watch cartoons. So in a sense, being The Mask was not hard task for this actor.
Originally the personality of The Mask was much more violent and brutal than the one in this film. Jim Carrey wanted to give the character of The Mask more of a comedic touch. This was a good direction to go because that IS Jim Carrey's strong point. Carrey can be psychotically funny but not psychotically insane. He even proves in this film that he can sing! Another individual who starts off her career at a promising level is Cameron Diaz. And not only did she start her career off right, but also she's now one of the highest grossing actresses. That's luck if you ask me.
What's great about Carrey is how he acts. He can be great as a cartoon character AND he's even more convincing as a wimp (as his alter ego, Stanley Ipkiss). What made Carrey more effective in this film than the other two he made in 1994 was that his energy (which is pretty high), was under control. Because of that, this probably gave Carrey's character more of likableness. As Ace Ventura or Lloyd Christmas, he was more or less free to do whatever he thought was funny on screen. In movies like those, you either really love the character he plays or you absolutely loath it to no end.
As for the comedic part of this film, CGI is used, but it is used as it should be used; as a tool. All the CGI does, is enhance Carrey's cartoon mannerisms into a heck of a performance. From bouncing around like a rubber ball or having his eyes popping out, it makes the scenes that are funny even funnier. There are even parts in this film that have The Mask reference other characters from other movies. Things like that are what make this film all the more better to watch. Composer Randy Edelman provided the score behind this film. I like the music that he made for this. Edelman made good use of making the music sound animated when The Mask was on screen and calm when Stanley Ipkiss took over. Although I liked the music, my real appreciation lies within the film of Gettysburg (1993). The kind of music that he made for that movie was spiritually moving.
As a last comment, I would like to say that I really did like this movie. This was my first Jim Carrey movie and after watching his performance, he has become one of my favorite actors to watch. However, I would be interested in seeing a remake of this film sometime in the future. Not to say Carrey's performance wasn't good but I would be more interested to see The Mask in his true form; a brutal, narcissistic psychopath. I say this because that's what the character originally was. Jim Carrey does quote a couple of moments from the original comic book but it isn't carried out the same way in the end. As a first choice, I would like to see Carrey play The Mask again but in the way The Mask originally was. And if Carrey wouldn't do it, then I would just be in the mood of seeing how it would turn out. But to be realistic, this is probably as good as its going to get.
With a role that practically IS Jim Carrey, The Mask succeeds on all levels. It's a funny comedy, with great special effects and although it's slightly altered from its comic book origins, it still leaves a memorable impression.