Like any good superhero movie, 1994’s
The Mask
starring
Jim Carrey
and Cameron Diaz had a video game release to complement the movie.
The Mask
game made the right choice in reflecting the events of the film rather than the original work. First published by Dark Horse in July 1991, the original content in
The Mask
comic was deemed highly inappropriate by director Chuck Russell. He was the one who suggested the more comical final product — and just as well. It garnered a nomination from the Academy Awards, three from the Saturn Awards and a Golden Globe for Carrey’s performance. But to this day, there are still whispers in the air from fans who want Stanley Ipkiss’s original chaotic story to be adapted.
Well, I am now joining that boat, because I came across
an obscure piece of media
which undoubtedly proves that the first iteration of
The Mask
needs to be revived. These days, just about any piece of media can be tracked down with the help of a smartphone and a quick Google search. This was a much different process in the mid ’90s. Distributed on CD-ROMs in big, flashy cardboard boxes, mass-produced computer software had everything and anything you were possibly looking for. From photo-editing programs to digital cookbooks to video games, the home computer revolution was seemingly booming. There were even comic book compilations made too. Released in 1994 by Softkey and in collaboration with Dark Horse Comics,
The Mask: The Origin
is the perfect example of how a dark reboot of the franchise should pan out.
This ‘Mask’ PC Game Is Something Else
Not only do the first five issues of
The Mask
comic book come to life
with the help of visual effects company MetroLight Studios, but every single line of dialogue is voiced just like a feature film. Yep, you read that right. I was surprised by this myself when I came across
The Mask: The Origin
over on YouTube. Usually, any such audio that accompanies a motion comic is nonchalant background music, but not here. With each panel, a voice cast brings the “comedic nightmare of madness and mayhem” of
The Mask
to life. Forget about the Cuban Pete depiction or Stanley Ipkiss’s turning into a bunch of hilarious caricatures during Tina’s musical performance. The comic and thus,
The Mask: The Origin
depicts events just a little bit differently.
Before being shot in the back and killed by his girlfriend, Ipkiss (with the help of
The Mask
) decapitates a couple of shady mechanics with a muffler, smashes a teacher’s head right in front of her own students and proceeds to use a rocket launcher against a group of cops trying to stop him. These sequences and many more are dubbed over with significant voice-over work. You no longer have to imagine what a dark version of
The Mask
would look like on the big screen — it’s all here — and has surprisingly been available since 1994. Admittedly, the presentation itself may be dated, but
The Mask’s
super-violent origins
being taken to the next level through voice acting helps to bring the theatrical dream one step closer to reality.
‘The Mask’ Comic Certainly Hits Different Now
Jim Carrey’s version easily satisfied younger moviegoers with a mixture of visual gags and looney humor. But as you have seen, cinematic styles have changed. Even with the excessive violence and crude language, Marvel’s
Deadpool
was accepted by MCU fans of all ages. The same thing goes for someone like Sony’s
Venom
. Thanks to the symbiote, biting off people’s heads is now an accepted phenomenon of comic book protagonists. This would be the perfect time for Dark Horse Comics’ first stab at
The Mask
to get a big-screen treatment
. While his victims would have to change, the utter chaos that
The Mask
caused in print form is now commonplace in the movies — even when the “good guy” causes it.
The combination of Ipkiss’s revenge story and Lieutenant Kellaway’s goal of cleaning the city is a great way of capturing two audiences at the same time. Unlike 1994’s
The Mask
, the ending of issue five (as seen in
The Origin
) cements the emotional and psychological toll such a relic has on people. Kellaway coming to terms with what he has turned into through trying to achieve his goal of eradicating criminals is a haunting moment and would transition into a
defining moment for those who saw the 1994 film
. We grow up and so should the stories we once lost ourselves in.
But until that day comes when
The Mask
can use the power of the big screen to wholeheartedly return to its former glory, we can all count on a truly underrated piece of software to get us there:
The Mask: The Origin
.
Jim Carrey’s
The Mask
is available to stream on Tubi, Prime Video and YouTube. The motion comic by Softkey and Dark Horse Comics is available to watch on YouTube for free.