The Mask: The Wildly Entertaining Jim Carrey Classic Comes to 4K (Limited Edition 4K)

The Film:

Back in the '90s, comedian Jim Carrey was at the height of his stardom, with a multitude of hits that included "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "Dumb and Dumber," "Batman Forever," "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," and "The Truman Show." One of the absolute biggest of these hits was a little film called "The Mask," which paid homage to classic cartoons and put Carrey's remarkable comic talents to great use. While there were many critics who didn't quite understand what the film was trying to do (though a fair amount did as well), the audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive, not just in its incredible box office performance of $352 million worldwide, but with many considering it one of Carrey's finest classics.

To celebrate the film, which just reached its 30th anniversary last year, Arrow Films is unleashing a new Limited Edition, which includes a stunning 4K upgrade and a ton of bonus materials both new and old, so now it's time to go back and revisit this comedic classic that was one of the early hits to launch its lead into superstardom.

The film centers on Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey), a skittish bank teller who lives alone with his dog Milo. One day at work, Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz), a singer at the Coco Bongo nightclub, comes in to open an account. However, she's actually there to secretly scope the place out for her boyfriend, gangster Dorian Tyrell (Peter Greene), who plans to rob it and overthrow his boss, Niko (Orestes Matacena).

Meanwhile, after a planned night of attending the club with his friend Charlie (Richard Jeni) doesn't pan out, Stanley comes across a mystical mask that turns him into a green-faced, cartoonish version of himself, giving him incredible powers in the process. With his new-found powers, he goes on a bit of a revenge outing, getting back at people like his obnoxious landlady and the mechanics who ripped him off. He even robs the bank he works at, which brings his new persona to the attention of Detective Kellaway (Peter Riegert), as well as Dorian. Will Stanley be able to evade them both, or will his recent activities get him into more trouble than he can handle?

I can still recall seeing "The Mask" in theaters way back in 1994 and immediately finding it to be a film that was simply incredibly fun & entertaining, which led to many subsequent viewings over the proceeding years. Watching it again in 2025, many years after the last viewing, it feels like practically nothing has changed. The film is still remarkably fun & entertaining, brilliantly showcasing Jim Carrey's fantastic comic talents, which he uses quite well to bring the rather eccentric characters of Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask to life. In fact, his performance was even impressive enough to earn him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

The film may be based extremely loosely on the Dark Horse Comics series of the same name (and when I say "loosely," I mean they used the idea of a mask that gives the wearer powers and pretty much nothing else), but as mentioned earlier, it seems like story writers Michael Fallon & Mark Verheiden and screenwriter Mike Werb were going for an homage to classic cartoons, and indeed Stanley is shown to have a particular love for them by putting one on after a stressful day.

This makes it no surprise that, when he dons the mask, he becomes a remarkably flamboyant, cartoonish entity that displays a full range of wild moves, the exact kind you'd see in such wacky programs. To pull these off, they put together one hell of a visual effects team, who give these moves the perfect animated/cartoony feel, contributing heavily to the film's outlandish atmosphere, and making it that much more compelling as their work is combined with Carrey's incredible performance. It's hardly a surprise that they ended up earning an Oscar nomination for their outstanding work, though they sadly lost it to that year's juggernaut, "Forrest Gump."

Overall, there's certainly a reason why most people consider this to be one of Jim Carrey's most memorable classics. His wild turns as duel characters, on top of the fantastic visual effects, continue to make this a rather fun experience even after three decades, and now that it's getting an impressive 4K upgrade, there's no better time to go back and revisit it yourself (or for the first time, if you've somehow neglected to see it in all these years) so that you too can relive the time when its star was in his prime.

Video/Audio:

"The Mask" comes to 4K in a 1.85:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of marvelous quality. The new restoration from the original camera negative, personally approved by director Chuck Russell, looks beautifully sharp & clear throughout its entire 101-minute duration, perfectly preserving the film's incredible Oscar-nominated special effects. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD MA, and Stereo audio tracks are outstanding, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Arrow Films has done an incredible job in both areas for the film's 4K debut.

Special Features:

Audio commentary with Chuck Russell

Audio commentary with Chuck Russell, New Line co-chairman Bob Shaye, screenwriter Mike Werb, executive producer Mike Richardson, producer Bob Engelman, ILM VFX supervisor Scott Squires, animation supervisor Tom Bertino and cinematographer John R. Leonetti

The Man Behind the Mask (20 Minutes) (New)

From Strip to Screen (19 Minutes) (New)

Green Faces Blue Screens (14 Minutes) (New)

Sssssssplicin'! (7 Minutes) (New)

Ask Peggy (13 Minutes) (New)

Toeing the Conga Line (10 Minutes) (New)

Terriermania (10 Minutes) (New)

Return to Edge City (27 Minutes)

Introducing Cameron Diaz (13 Minutes)

Cartoon Logic (14 Minutes)

What Makes Fido Run (11 Minutes)

The Making Of (3 Minutes)

Interview Bites (5 Minutes)

Deleted Scenes (2 Sequences, 4 Minutes)

The film comes packed with tons of extras, which includes a pair of commentaries, as well as nearly three hours of featurettes that consist of new interviews with the filmmakers and several archival looks behind the scenes. Any fan of the film is going to be absolutely thrilled with the wealth of great material being included here, which will allow them to delve deeper into its making.

Conclusion:

Utilizing wonderful dual turns from its lead and fantastic Oscar-nominated visual effects, "The Mask" remains one of Jim Carrey's most fun & wildly entertaining films from when he was at the height of his stardom, showcasing his impressive & eccentric talents in a delightful homage to classic cartoons. The 4K features a stunning new upgrade and plenty of fantastic bonus materials, making this an easily-recommendable release to add to your personal collection.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on Limited Edition 4K starting today.

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