In the early 1990s, Jim Carrey had a run of movies that cemented his place as one of the greatest comedy actors of a generation. One that has left a lasting impression on pop culture is 1994’s The Mask , the eye-popping, Latin-dancing, Cameron Diaz-introducing spectacle based on the (incredibly) graphic novels by Dark Horse Comics. Now fans of Carrey’s wildly energetic performance have made it a streaming hit on over 30 years later, which asks the question of whether it is time to give The Mask the R-rated reboot it deserves.
Directed by Chuck Russell, the 1994 film is very loosely based on the comic book character who finds that he turns into a (very dubious) superhero when donning a mystical mask – see what they did with the title? The Mask follows bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss (Carrey), a soft-spoken nice guy who transforms into a green-faced whirlwind of mischief when putting on the seemingly innocent mask. When he meets gangster’s moll Tina Carlyle (Diaz in her first movie role), things get a little out of control in a very cartoonish way.
The Mask was released during a year that was dominated by Carrey’s rubber face – with or without a mask – as he also headlined Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber. The Mask turned a $23 million budget into a whopping $350 million at the worldwide box office, instantly turning Carrey into a megastar who could do no wrong – well, not until 1995’s The Cable Guy burst the bubble a bit. Carrey’s rubber-faced antics led The Mask to an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects to boot.
While The Mask is a family-friendly screwball comedy, with manic dance sequences, rapid-fire jokes, and bug-eyed facial expressions which are now the stuff of memes (who hasn’t cracked out a “Smokin’” or Cuban Pete in the last few years?) there is one thing about The Mask that bothers a select group of individuals: fans of the original Dark Horse Comics version of the character.
In the 1990s, most comic book movies that were aimed at older audiences did terribly, so it was not surprising that The Mask was squarely pointing its cartoon gun at a family audience to fleece them for as much money as possible. But, despite some moments that could be a little scary for young kids, the film barely touched the surface of the bloody violence that the comics delivered, and many people think that the time is now right for a reboot.
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While Carrey and Diaz have recently been asked their opinions on returning to The Mask for a belated sequel, leaving well enough alone on that score is probably best. However, reviving The Mask in its original R-rated form could very well land with the same audiences that flocked to movies like The Suicide Squad and Deadpool & Wolverine in recent years. Either way, The Mask is a movie that sits right in the fun zone that is ripe for remaking, and it is surely only a matter of time before the green-faced whirlwind is back on the big screen again.
