Chatter Box Film

*This review contains spoilers for the film*

The Mask looks like it’s had a new scan and remaster. It has been released on both Blu-ray and 4K, but I’ve only watched the Blu-ray version. 

The story follows a kind man who is constantly looked down on and treated badly by the people around him. One day he finds a strange mask and decides to put it on. This transforms him into an alter ego of himself, turning him into a cartoon-style version of a human. While wearing the mask, he starts doing bad and chaotic things, but as the film goes on he slowly learns how to control the powers the mask gives him. At the same time, some baddies want to kill him and are willing to hurt innocent people to get what they want.

Overall, The Mask is a very good and engaging film. I watched it a long time ago but couldn’t remember much of it, so it almost felt like watching it for the first time again. The film is funny, sometimes over the top and ridiculous at times, which actually works well because the main character becomes a living cartoon when wearing the mask. Along with the comedy, there are some surprisingly good action scenes that I wasn’t expecting, as well as a good romance story. I was also surprised by a twist involving a character you would least expect to turn bad.

Jim Carrey is excellent in this role. He brings a huge amount of energy to the character, but unlike some of his other films, he also shows a more serious side. He proves here that he can act properly and not just rely on being silly or loud all the time, which is what he is mainly known for. His performance really carries the film and keeps it entertaining from start to finish.

Visually, the film looks impressive and there isn’t much noticeable film grain. The colours really stand out and pop off the screen, especially considering I was only watching the Blu-ray. Some of the darker scenes had really nice blue tones and misty fog lighting that looked great. That said, I did notice that some of the outdoor scenes had a clear film-set look to them, as if they were shot on studio sets rather than real locations. 

One thing I enjoyed is the lighting in this film, even during night-time scenes, you could still clearly see people’s faces, which is something I really like, as I hate films that make dark scenes too hard to see.

What’s included in the blu-ray special features?

As for the special features, there are quite a few new extras included, such as interviews with the cast and crew, which were interesting to watch. However, it does feel like some of the special features from the original DVD release might be missing from this version, although I’m not completely sure.

I would recommend getting the Blu-ray or 4K for this film, as it’s a very good upgrade from previous versions.