SCREEN

SON OF THE MASK

Matthew Scott Hunter













SON OF THE MASK (PG)

(1 star)


Stars: Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming, Ryan Falconer


Director: Lawrence Guterman


Details: Opens Friday



When the Mask came out, it was notable for taking the man simply known as The White Guy From In Living Color and enhancing his remarkable facial comedy with what were then revolutionary digital effects. Eleven years later, I can practically do those effects on my laptop and that white guy has gone on to be a household name, doing far better material. Nevertheless, Hollywood has ignored the cautionary tale that is Dumb and Dumberer and has again chosen to make a Jim Carrey sequel, sans Jim Carrey.


Jamie Kennedy fills Carrey's mask just long enough for us to see what a horrible mistake that is, then quickly hands the effects headdress to a clone of the first film's Jack Russell terrier. The dog and titular infant (conceived with the mask and imbued with its powers) compete for attention by assaulting each other Looney Tunes style. But the action sequences all consist of digital characters zooming spastically over blurred, live-action backgrounds with none of the comic timing that made the cartoons of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery great. The result is a filmgoing experience about as much fun as falling off a cliff while an Acme rocket explodes in your pants. It hurts like hell long before you hit bottom.

  • Get More Stories from Thu, Feb 17, 2005
Top of Story