Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 30, 1994                   TAG: 9408200008
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SPECIAL EFFECTS ARE THE BEST PART OF 'THE MASK'

Some of the big scenes -- notably the musical numbers -- are energetic and surprising. Because they're so splashy, the rest of the action often seems slow, and there's never much to the story or the characters. Even star Jim Carrey's broad physical comedy is overshadowed by the special effects created at George Lucas' International Light & Magic (ILM).

Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, a mild-mannered Edge City bank clerk who's everyone's stepping stone until he finds "The Mask.'' Once he puts it on, he becomes a green-faced caricature of himself with supernatural powers. He's the sort of character who might have been created by renowned animators Tex Avery or Chuck Jones. (References to both of them appear prominently.)

While Stanely is much too timid to express himself, The Mask spiffs up his zoot suit and heads out for a night on the town at the Coco Bongo Club. That's where he whisks sexy singer Tina Carlyle (Cameron Diaz) off her feet, literally. Her gangster boyfriend, Dorian (Peter Greene) is planning to rob Stanley's bank and then to take over the local rackets.

That's about all there is to the plot. Stanley's dog Milo (Max) is called upon to pull the story over several rough spots. The younger kids in the audience Friday seemed to like him a lot, and even though the gunplay figures prominently in this PG-13er, the kids seemed to like that, too.

Production designer Craig Stearns did a fair job with the sets, though these aren't going to make anyone forget the ""Batman'' movies or ""The Shadow,'' for that matter. Director Charles Russell didn't embarrass himself, either. Given the particular demands of this Hollywood formula, his contribution is significantly less than Carrey's and ILM's.

The mix of live action, computer effects and/or animation isn't new. It's been used much more effectively in ""Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' and ""T2,'' much less effectively in ""Cool World.''

For lively, mindless summer escapism, there's nothing much wrong with "The Mask.'' It lives up to the previews that have been running for months, and that's about it.

The Mask **1/2

A New Line release playing at the ... 95 min. Rated PG-13 for violence, some strong language, mild sexual content.