THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO [1994 / 2008] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
Jim Carey is S-S-Smokin' as The Mask! A Laugh-A-Minute Ring-A-Ding Rollercoaster!
Imagine a cyclone, a Tex Avery cartoon come to life as a zoot-suited fashionista and the wiggly energy of a vat full of jumping beans and that still doesn't capture Jim Carey's comic genius as Stanley Ipkiss [Jim Carey], a repressed bank clerk who goes from zero to hero when he dons The Mask. The mysterious mask Stanley Ipkiis finds allows him to do what he normally can't, like woo Tina Carlyle [Cameron Diaz] and beat the baddies. Beneath all that loopy fun is the film's heart: Does Stanley Ipkiss really needs the mask to be the person he longs to be? Flat-out smokin'!
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1994 Awards Circuit Community Awards: Nominated: Best Visual Effects. 1994 Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival: Win: Best Special Effects for Greg Cannom and Ken Ralston. Nominated: Best Film for Chuck Russell. 1995 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Effects and Visual Effects for Jon Farhat, Scott Squires, Steve 'Spaz' Williams and Tom Bertino. 1995 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical for Jim Carrey. 1995 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Make-Up/Hair for Greg Cannom and Sheryl Ptak. Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Production Design for Craig Stearns, Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Special Effects for Jon Farhat, Scott Squires, Steve 'Spaz' Williams and Tom Bertino. 1995 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Costumes for Ha Nguyen. Nominated: Saturn Award for Best Make-Up for Greg Cannom. 1995 American Choreography Awards: Win: Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film for Jerry Evans. 1995 BMI Film & TV Awards: Win: BMI Film Music Award for Randy Edelman. 1995 Casting Society of America: Nominated: Artois Award for Best Casting for Feature Film in a Comedy for Fern Champion and Mark Paladini. 1995 Fantasporto: Nominated: International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film for Chuck Russell. 1995 Hugo Awards: Nominated: Best Dramatic Presentation for Chuck Russell (director), Mark Verheiden (story), Michael Fallon (story) and Mike Werb (screenplay). 1995 Kids' Choice Awards, USA: Win: Blimp Award for Favorite Animal Star for Max (Milo). 1995 MTV Movie + TV Awards: Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance for Cameron Diaz. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female for Cameron Diaz. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance for Jim Carrey. Nominated: MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence for Cameron Diaz and Jim Carrey. 1995 MTV Video Music Awards: Nominated: Best Video from a Film for Jim Carrey for Jim Carrey: Cuban Pete. 2015 20/20 Awards: Nominated: Felix Award for Best Visual Effects.
FILM FACT No.2: In 1989, Mike Richardson and Todd Moyer, who was Executive Vice President of Dark Horse Comics, first approached New Line Cinema about adapting the comic “The Mask” into a film, after having seen other offers. The main character went through several transformations, and the project was stalled a couple of times. One unused "Mask" idea, according to Mike Richardson, was to transform the story into one about a mask-maker who took faces off of corpses to put them on teens and turn them into zombies. Initially intended to become a new horror franchise, New Line Cinema offered the job of directing the film to Chuck Russell. However, Chuck Russell found the violence of the comic to be off-putting, and wanted the film to be less grim and more fun than the source material. Mike Werb says Chuck Russell tapped him after reading his script for Curious George for Imagine. The two decided to turn “The Mask” into a wild romantic comedy. Mike Werb wrote his first draft of ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ in less than six weeks, and less than two months later it was green-lit. According to Mike Verheiden, they had a first draft screenplay for a film version done back in 1990. Mike Verheiden then wrote the second draft in early 1991, adding more humour, and that ended up being the only work he did on ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO.’ After that the film went into development hell. The ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ film visual effects were handled by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Dream Quest Images. The sequences in the film which involved computer animation were supervised by ILM animation director Wes Takahashi. There were a lot of VFX scenes that had to be cut for budget reasons.
Cast: Jim Carrey, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, Orestes Matacena, Tim Bagley, Nancy Fish, Johnny Williams, Reg E. Cathey, Jim Doughan, Denis Forest, Cameron Diaz, Joseph Alfieri, B.J. Barie, Catherine Berge, Phil Boardman, Krista Buonauro, Debra Casey, Blake Clark, Christopher Darga, Suzanne Dunn, Joely Fisher, Kevin Grevioux, Peter Jazwinski, Howard Kay, Robert Keith, Beau Lotterman, Scott McElroy, Richard Montes, Ivory Ocean, Robert O'Reilly, Louis Ortiz, Daniel James Peterson, Jeremy Roberts, Eamonn Roche, Randi Ruimy, Ben Stein, Nils Allen Stewart, Chris Taylor, Bullet Valmont, Wendy L. Walsh, Meadow Williams, Max [Milo the Jack Russell Terrier], Susan Boyd (singing voice), Monica Lee Bellais (uncredited), Keri-Anne Bilotta (uncredited), Mike Breyer (uncredited), Leslie Cook (uncredited), Christopher A. Green (uncredited), Krista Miller (uncredited), Richard Raynesford (uncredited), Rebecca Ryiz (uncredited) and Garret Sato (uncredited)
Director: Chuck Russell
Producers: Ann Burgund, Carla Fry, Chuck Russell, Michael De Luca, Mike Richardson and Robert Engelman
Screenplay: Mark Verheiden (story), Michael Fallon (story) and Mike Werb (screenplay)
Composer: Randy Edelman
Cinematography: John R. Leonetti, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio
English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
German: 2.0 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH and German
Running Time: 101 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: New Line Home Video
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: Though it has aged slightly, ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ [1994] seems like a film that was many years ahead of its time. First, it was based on an offbeat cult comic book, which was created by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke, and published by Mike Richardson's Dark Horse Comics, and a practice which seems to be the norm. Second, with its then-cutting-edge use of computer graphics augmentation, it gave a sense of cartoon-y whimsy to what would have been an otherwise straightforward action picture, taken to the ninth degree; we're now given something like ‘Speed Racer.’ And finally, it saw the potential in a little-known comic named Jim Carrey, who would go on to become a box office juggernaut.
The storyline of ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ concerns one Stanley Ipkiss [Jim Carrey], a loveable loser who works at a bank and lets everyone walk all over him. One night he stumbles upon a mystical, vaguely defined mask that turns him into the titular antihero. Forgoing the comic book's hyper-violence, the film instead turns Stanley Ipkiss into an even goofier Nutty Professor, an over-caffeinated raconteur able to stretch, squash, and manipulate himself and others in the tradition of famous animator Tex Avery.
From there, things get more complicated, as his outlandish tomfoolery soon attracts the attention of a group of villainous gangsters led by Dorian Tyrell [Peter Greene] and the police Lt. Mitch Kellaway [Peter Riegert]. The film climaxes with a siege on a charity ball in keeping with the cartoon feeling, the money for the charity is held in a giant pink piggy, with Peter Greene wearing the mask, amplifying his evil. This is when the film shifts into all out lunacy, with multiple human and non-human, wearers of the mask, gun fights, explosives, the whole bit, and it all ends up being a little... blah!
To some ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ isn't an exceptional film, but to me it is totally hilarious and I love it from when I saw it at the cinema and have loved it ever since. Besides the truly rubbery performance by Jim Carrey and to me, this is his ONLY best film ever, and some of the visual effects are totally brilliant, especially the Tex Avery type cartoons and acts like a B-movie with gangsters and garish visuals thrown in for good measure and I feel that director Chuck Russell does a brilliant job overall. Jim Carrey, of course introduced us to Cameron Diaz in her first big screen role as Tina Carlyle and shines like a beacon throughout the film and of course it helped catapult Cameron Diaz career big time.
A word of warning, do not under no circumstances purchase the follow up film entitled ‘Son of The Mask,' because I would advise to steer well clear of this atrocious re-make. What we basically have here is a license for the filmmakers to do whatever they want to do with the special effects, while the plot, like Wile E. Coyote, keeps running into the wall. Talk about dumb and dumber.
THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO MUSIC TRACK LIST
CUBAN PETE (Written by José Norman) [Performed by Jim Carrey with Angie Jaree]
(I Could Only) WHISPER YOUR NAME (Written by Harry Connick Jr. and Ramsay McLean) [Performed by Harry Connick Jr.]
THIS BUSINESS OF LOVE (Written by Phil Roy, Howie Hersh, and Nicholas Klein) [Performed by Domino]
LET THE GOOD TIMES TOLL (Written by Spo-De-Odee and Fleecie Moore) [Performed by Fishbone]
HEY, PACHOCU (Written by Royal Crown Revue) (Lyrics by Eddie Nichols) [Performed by Royal Crown Revue]
GEE BABY, AIN’T I GOOD TO YOU (Lyrics by Don Redman and Andy Razaf) (Music by Don Redman) [Performed by Susan Boyd]
WHO’S THAT MAN (Written by Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, Latosha Scott and Tamika Scott) [Performed by Xscape]
YOU WOULD BE MY BABY (Written by Keith Thomas and Phil Gladston) [Performed by Vanessa Williams]
BOUNCE AROUND (Written by Dwayne Wiggins, Raphael Wiggins and Timothy Riley) [Performed by Tony! Toni! Toné!]
HI DE HO (Written by Cab Calloway, Clarence Gaskill, Irving Mills, Harry White, Lewis Sharpe and Tony Moran) [Performed by K7]
STRAIGHT UP (Written by Brian Setzer and Merritt & Lambert) [Performed by The Brian Setzer Orchestra]
DANCE WITH ME (Written by Ken Barken and Leigh Robbins) [Performed by Leigh Robbins]
OL’ MAN RIVER (Written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II)
OF THEE I SWING (Written by David Michael Frank)
Vesti La Giubba (uncredited) (Written by Ruggero Leoncavallo) [Performed by Luciano Pavarotti] (uncredited)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Honestly, I was shocked by this single-layer 1080p image and the 1.85:1 aspect ratio transfer. This must be the best this film has ever looked. The film ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ has been plagued from its original home video inception with muddy visuals; the garish lights of Edge City bleeding into the picture and giving everything an orange-y tint. Sometimes it still goes over the top, with some digital noise, but it wasn't enough to quell my enthusiasm for the transfer and there's no noticeable grain or visual blips. Contrast has been upped to give the entire movie more depth and clarity, really bringing the fictional Las Vegas-meets-Detroit vibe of Edge City to life. And the effects really pop in this transfer, for better or worse, since with their added sheen, they seem a bit more disconnected from the actual film. While certainly not a reference-quality presentation, you could still show ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ Blu-ray to anyone who saw it in the cinema and say “Now, look at THIS” on your Home Cinema set-up and they would be very, very impressed.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio track is really, really great. The cartoony nature of the films means you get really outlandish scenes that are really served well with the impressive sound mix, especially when Jim Carrey is ping-pongs down the apartment corridor, for instance, all channels are worked vigorously. The dialogue-heavy scenes, are supported by a great front-speaker mix, really shine, with very little in the way of ambience or in-between sound. It’s either boom, kapow, klang, or its two people talking in the front speakers. There’s very little in the way of middle ground, audio-wise. Still, I would say this is a solid mix – loud and aggressive when it needs to be, sporting great front-speaker mix. Honestly, the film has probably never sounded this good, either. The audio package is augmented by a perfectly listenable standard 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix in both English and German.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary by Director Chuck Russell, then Co-Chairman New Line Cinema Bob Shaye, Writer Mike Werb, Executive Producer Mike Richardson, Producer Robert Engelman, ILM VFX Supervisor Scott Squires, Animation Supervisor Tom Bertino and Cinematographer John Leonetti: If you are going to listen to one of the two audio commentary tracks provided here, this is the one to go for. Everyone provides super-useful in-depth information from their point of view, and with so many participants, you might think things would go a little off the rails, but whoever edited it does so superbly. A little vocal placeholder will pop in, letting you know it's "writer Mike Werb" or whoever, so in case you forgot what a person sounds like you will be covered. This track does seem cobbled together from different interviews, but whoever put it together does a good job to match the content of the commentary with what's happening on screen. For example, someone will be talking about the bank heist sequence while the bank heist sequence is on the screen, etc. You'll learn a lot of great titbits about the making of the film, like how visual effects house Industrial Light & Magic assigned its B-team to the film, which ended up getting praised for its visual effects. Some of the commentary may seem redundant, with similar ground covered in the special features documentaries, but this lively track is still worth a listen.
Audio Commentary with Director Chuck Russell: This is the other audio commentary track option, very dry and very dated, at one point Chuck Russell says, "See if you can rewind this on your LaserDisc." Oops, they should have edited this part out, as it is very lazy and sloppy to keep this in or even better, not allowing it to be added into this particular supplement? As there will be youngsters today who will think he is talking Martian.
Special Feature: Return to Edge City [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [27:16] With this fairly comprehensive making of documentary, we get to hear about the radical transformation from the edgy comic book to an extremely cool film with explosive characters, colours, effects, romance and musical numbers, and it also covers the whole history of the project and it was originally conceived as a successor to the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ series, as a kind of horror-comedy, plus we have interviews from all the principle cast and crew. We also get to view lots of rare behind-the-scene filming. Also very interesting is that we get to see how they trained Milo the dog to do some tricky stunts. Contributors include: Robert Engelman [Producer], Mike Richardson [Executive Producer], Chuck Russell [Director], Robert Shaye [Co-Chairman/Co-CEO New Line Cinema], Mike Werb [Screenwriter], John R. Leonetti [Director of Photography], Steve Berens [Animal Trainer], Tom Bertino [Visual Effects], Jim Carrey [Stanley Ipkiss] (archive footage) and Cameron Diaz [Tina Carlyle] (archive footage).
Special Feature: Introducing Cameron Diaz [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [13:17] From an inexperienced fresh new face, to a leading lady as a voluptuous blonde bombshell Tina Carlyle and casting Cameron Diaz was a story in Hollywood history. Contributors include: Mark Paladini [Casting Associate], Chuck Russell [Director], Fern Champion [Casting Director], Robert Shaye [Co-Chairman/Co-CEO New Line Cinema] and Cameron Diaz [Tina Carlyle] (archive footage).
Special Feature: Cartoon Logic [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [13:43] This special feature looks into the animated origins of some of ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ best gags. Animation historians are interviewed, and footage from old Tex Avery cartoons is juxtaposed with what occurred in the film and imparts lots of fascinating information. What was also glorious is the fact that this was a fitting tribute to the genius cartoonist Tex Avery, and credited to introducing humour to animation in Hollywood. Contributors include: John Canemaker [Animation Historian], Tom Bertino [Visual Effects], Chuck Russell [Director], Scott Squires [Visual Effects], John R. Leonetti [Director of Photography], Robert Shaye [Co-Chairman/Co-CEO New Line Cinema], Steve Berens [Animal Trainer], Tom Bertino [Visual Effects] and Robert Engelman [Producer].
Special Feature: What Makes Fido Run? [2005] [1080p] [1.78:1] [10:51] Personality, characteristics and training are all part of picking the perfect Hollywood pooch! Here we get to see the dog trainers how to performed a lot of the astounding stunts in the film ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ and there is a great section about how they taught Milo the dog to "put on the mask" in one of the film's most beloved scenes. Contributors include: Nicole Zuehl [Steve martin’s Working Wildlife], Steve Berens [Animals of Distinction] and Brandon McMillan [Hollywood Animals].
Theatrical Trailer [1994] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:58] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO.’
Special Feature: Additional Scenes [1994] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:54] Here we get to view two scenes that were deleted from the film and they are as follows:
Viking Scene – Alternate Opening [with English subtitles] which is an alternate opening sequence, with the Vikings traveling to America just to dispose of the mask.
The second scene is the Death of Peggy sequence for the moral and ambitious reporter Peggy [Amy Yasbeck] and is pretty entertaining.
You can also watch these deleted scenes with an audio commentary by Director Chuck Russell. Also you can either watch each deleted scene separately or Play All.
Finally, I really liked and enjoyed this film ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ immensely as I think it shows off splendidly the comedic talent of Jim Carrey at his best, but sadly his other film releases were as far as I am concerned dead ducks and I do not know why people go mad over those very second rate bargain basement films. The film ‘THE MASK: FROM ZERO TO HERO’ is the perfect production for Jim Carrey to unleash his unique brand of comedy whether it is over the top, or damped down for a specific scene. Graced with a nice set of extras, decent picture and sound quality, and the debut of Cameron Diaz, I highly endorse this film for fans, and non-fans alike of Jim Carrey. This film is a lot of fun, and director Chuck Russell does a real nice job of crafting a true to life Tex Avery cartoon character of lovers of the older short cartoons will truly enjoy and ever since it was originally released in the cinema again I really loved this film and is a really true tour-de-force comedy classic and shows off the talented actors at their best and that is why I am so proud to own this Blu-ray disc and it will give me endless hours of enjoyment. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
