‘Son of the Mask’ loses comedic charm of original
February 22, 2005
Get ready for a wild and crazy rollercoaster ride of a movie — one you probably shouldn’t and wouldn’t want to take.
“Son of the Mask,” the second and mostly redundant rendition of the original “The Mask,” misguides parents into taking their children to this kid’s movie — which in reality is a slightly twisted and very disgusting film.
Not doing anything to get himself out of the multi-persona hole that he dug for himself, flimsy comedian Jamie Kennedy stars as Tim Avery, a cartoonist who works as a stuffed cartoon tortoise in a Microsoft-sized animation conglomerate.
When Kennedy’s trusty dog (would you have guessed it’s a Jack Russell?) brings him the cursed mask of Loki — the god of mischief — in one fell swoop he gets a promotion, becomes popular and gets his wife pregnant.
When his child is born, the baby seems to be a “chip off the old block” of Loki — exhibiting extraordinary features, which makes a lot of trouble for Kennedy and the dog.
Jim Carrey was smart enough to stay away from this project, so the creators of this sequel relied on second-rate acting and gratuitous computer special effects to try to replace Carrey’s comedic talents.
The only thing more shocking than the cameos by Ben Stein and Bob Hoskins is the utter lewdness. Some movies may display graphic acts of violence and obscene language, but it’s not as bad as making a film about bodily fluids and cleavage and trying to market it as a kid’s flick.
However, one can concede the fact that this film was consistent — its hyperspeed camera angles and a scene involving nearly 30 gallons of baby urine make this film sickening throughout.
Kennedy, who now seems respectable in his “Scream” appearances, arrives at a new low by playing a character who has no more than six (coherent) syllables in one line of script.
His supporting cast, however, is almost worse.
Alan Cumming and his soon-to-be-incinerated career are no more “invincible” now than when he was iced over in the 1995 film “GoldenEye.”
Cumming plays Loki, the god of mischief, who looks like a juiced-up Gumby in a KISS outfit. With every scene, this film becomes more shocking, more disgusting and more void of any real essence, and there is no way to get around the fact that this film is better left unseen — especially by a young audience.