The Mask
1994 · Directed by Chuck Russell
Original language: English
- comedy
- fantasy
- crime
- romance
The story
Timid bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss discovers a magical mask infused with the spirit of the Norse god Loki. Donning it transforms him into an unrestrained, green-faced, cartoon-like wild man. While the mask grants him the confidence to woo a local singer, it also makes him the target of a ruthless mobster.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated cartoon color floods every frame of this 1994 comedy, with Coconut Grove-style Edge City streets lit in candy pinks, sickly greens and jazzy nightclub gold, and the transformed hero's world turned into a Tex Avery-style comic strip with exaggerated sets and rubber-limbed motion. The camera moves with real energy, whipping through crowded streets and swooping past the Big Bang musical numbers, while quieter scenes sit in drab office fluorescents and shabby apartment light that make the contrast land. The score is brassy swing and big-band pop, bouncing between swing and cartoon sound effects. Its vibe is loud, playful and gleefully silly, the sort of thing for a Friday night or a lively group watch. The pacing is brisk and the humor is physical, with slapstick, double takes and a lot of mugging, and the emotional arc follows a meek, overlooked man gaining nerve and joy through a wild alter ego. Violence is cartoonish: gunfights, car chases and bodies that bounce back, with some mobster menace and brief peril, but no real gore and little that lingers. It suits viewers who want exuberant, goofy entertainment and a comic-book sense of fun.
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