21 Years Ago Today, This Sequel to 1 of the 1990s’ Best Superhero Movies Was So Bad You Still Won’t Believe It

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Even before the superhero movie boom truly began with X-Men in 2000 and Spider-Man in 2002, several comic book adaptations had already found success on the big screen. Classics like the Superman and Batman films, and Blade, paved the way. Beyond those, there were lesser-known adaptations – some hits, and others, like Howard the Duck, not so much. Films like Swamp Thing, Timecop, Tank Girl, Barb Wire, Virus, The Crow, and Judge Dredd were based on comics with smaller fan bases, but they often introduced those properties to a much wider audience.

Films like The Crow and The Mask were huge hits. However, while The Mask, especially, was a massive success in 1994 and helped launch Jim Carrey as a major leading man, it was always intended as a standalone project, not the start of a franchise.

What Makes Son of the Mask Such a Disaster?

The comic book version of The Mask, created by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke, is significantly more violent than the film. While the comic’s character shares a similar sense of humor to Jim Carrey’s portrayal, he’s essentially a hyper-violent and cruel individual. Furthermore, the comic book version of Stanley Ipkiss, the man behind the mask, is quite different from his movie counterpart. The film depicts Ipkiss as mostly just sad, but fundamentally good-hearted, whereas the comic portrays him as deeply troubled.

Look, Chuck Russell’s The Mask already took some liberties with the original comic, but Son of the Mask? That movie just went completely off the rails. It’s pure, non-stop slapstick, and honestly, it feels aimed squarely at the preschool crowd. The problem is, even kids can spot a cheap attempt to win them over, and I suspect a lot of the audience members – the parents dragged along for the ride – were more interesting than the movie itself.

Beyond the shift in tone, the story itself feels much more disconnected from the original film. The only returning cast member was Ben Stein, and he only appeared in a minor role as Dr. Arthur Neuman.

Jamie Kennedy plays Tim Avery instead of Ipkiss, and it reinforces the idea that his best role was Randy Meeks in the original Scream films. When he’s the main focus, his comedic style becomes annoying, similar to Pauly Shore.

This movie is overwhelmingly silly and energetic, but it doesn’t earn its over-the-top nature. It’s strange to see characters like Odin and Loki appear in a sequel to The Mask – Loki only got a brief mention in the original – but at least Alan Cumming is playing the role. Sadly, even he can’t save the film, despite clearly trying his best to make it work.

Many famously terrible movies are enjoyable in a campy, so-bad-they’re-good way, but Son of the Mask doesn’t fit that bill. It’s just not entertaining.

Did you catch Son of the Mask when it was in cinemas? And did you watch it all the way to the end? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-18 23:16