Mask, The (DVD)

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Be this as it may, the cartoonish graphics are truly sensational, something unthought of just a few years earlier, and joy in themselves.

Video:
The disc provides both a standard pan-and-scan and a 1.85:1 widescreen version on flip sides. The film looks OK, although the widescreen would look a whole lot better in an anamorphic presentation. The colors are particularly bright and lifelike, and definition is adequate, with little fading or bleeding between lines of delineation. There's an odd grittiness about the picture, though. Oh, well....

Audio:
Equally important, the surround sound takes good, if not spectacular, advantage of the film's many gags and effects, and it is especially welcome in the several musical interludes.

Extras:
Among the bonus materials on the disc, I enjoyed director Charles Russell's feature-length commentary. This was the first such commentary on DVD that I ever listened to in its entirety, and it is still one of the best in terms of sheer trivia gleaned. However, I can't say I liked the actual appearance of the bonus screens; on my system the print was hard to read, due probably to the ill-chosen and overly glaring background colors employed. Overall, though, the disc delivers good value for one's money.

Parting Thoughts:
"The Mask" is probably Jim Carrey's best film prior to "The Truman Show." It confirmed that he was more than a poor man's latter-day imitation of Jerry Lewis. I think you will like the movie's humor, and be charmed by its visual appearance, a kind of "Roger Rabbit" on steroids. If you don't already have this DVD, you might check it out.

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