Son of the Mask

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Son of the Mask's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Son of the Mask completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 29 March 05.

Overall comments and recommendations

Son of the Mask is a sequel of sorts to The Mask, but without the talents of Jim Carrey. Children will enjoy the comic-book style and storyline of the movie, but for adults, this movie may be little tiresome. The special effects and sets are impressive, but the acting is somewhat exaggerated, presumably in keeping with the comic-book nature of the movie.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Son of the Mask contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Otin (Bob Hoskins), the all powerful Norse god, has many sons, including Loki (Alan Cummings), the god of mischief, who invented the trouble making “Mask”. Otin wants Loki to find and destroy the Mask before it wreaks anymore havoc. Loki sets out to do as his father asks, but struggles to find his original Mask among the many fakes in museums in Edge city.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There are several violent scenes in this movie, usually set in a comic context, including:

• a group of young children are fighting with and hitting each other.
• Loki is frustrated at finding another fake mask in a shop and throws objects at the shop attendant.
• Alvie throws a fax machine at Tim, then lifts him up and belts and bounces him around the room. Tim is unconscious at the end of this. This is depicted as a humorous scene.
• Otis gives Alvie an explosive toy. Alvie realises this and defuses the bomb. He in turn gives Otis an explosive bone and we see Otis explode (ends up looking burnt).
• Otis secretly attaches a hook to Alvie's clothes. We are then shown Alvie attaching this hook to Otis's collar. In the ensuing scenes, Otis (computer generated image) is dragged into and flung around by a fan, dunked, tarred, feathered, flattened and finally reinflated by Alvie.
• Otis' plots to kill Alvie are shown as animations but are quite explicit in what he intends to do.
• Loki knocks Tim out with a giant hand.
• Alvie punches Loki in the groin and then uses two large waste units to repeatedly squash Loki between. Alvie also later shoots Loki in the face, comic-style. Loki's face is singed, but he is otherwise unhurt.

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

There are many scenes in this film that could scare younger viewers :

• The film starts on a dark and stormy night in the Gothic style Museum of Edge city. A tour is going through the museum and one of the tourists is Loki, who is dressed in black. He then transforms into a green-faced version of himself, scaring the rest of the tour group.
• Loki menaces the tour guide, then ‘removes' the guide's face (the guide says ‘he doesn't like it) and puts it in a display cabinet. Security guards run in, and Loki shoots at the ground around them. They then fall through the floor.
• Tim imagines what it would be like to have babies, and images are shown of babies with vampire teeth (for comical effect).
• While relaxing on a beach, Loki is interrupted by the appearance of his father. This is shown as dark clouds in the sky, with emergence of Otin's large face in the sky. He yells at Loki.
• There are several scenes in which Tim and Otis put the mask on their face and are transformed into green-faced slightly evil versions of themselves. These scenes are often chaotic. At times their eyes are shown to pop out of their heads for comical effect.
• Otin and Loki ‘possess' characters in the movie to talk to each other or to manipulate a situation. e.g. a shop attendant, a nurse at the hospital.
• Alvie is shown to blow his face up like a balloon. In another scene he changes himself into Woody Woodpecker.
• While trying to locate Alvie, Loki visit a number of homes. At one home he vacuums up the mother in a giant vacuum cleaner; at another he puts a plumber's plunger in a dad's face. He then examines the babies.
• There are two extended scenes in which Otis carries out a plot to hurt/kill Alvie. These plots are first shown in animation style and the clear aim is to kill Alvie. Otis is then seen lurking outside the house at night time. When the actual plan takes place, Alvie appears to be in danger, but Otis ends up being the one that is hurt. During these scenes, the house, its contents and the garden are destroyed.
• Tim yells at the baby a few times in frustration.
• Tim puts Alvie in the cars saying they are going to see a “paediatrician or an exorcist”. Alvie's head starts to spin and he vomits a huge amount of green fluid inside the car.
• There are two scenes in which Loki fights Tim and Alvie. Loki threatens Tim with an arsenal of weapons, then gets strangled by Tim (possessed by Otin). Tim and Alvie are trapped by a giant metal wall Loki creates, and Loki fires a fireball at them.
• Loki loses his powers, but regains them later after summoning his father and asking for another chance. His spell casting to get his father and his return of power are somewhat dark and scary scenes.
• Loki transforms a nosy neighbour's head into a giant nose.
• Tim (wearing the Mask) and Tonya race in a car to save a kidnapped Alvie. The scene is played for comical effect, but Tonya appears frightened by the speed and course they are taking.

Aged eight to thirteen

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Some children in the 8–13 year age bracket may be scared by the scenes described above.

Over the age of thirteen

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children over the age of 13 are unlikely to be frightened by the scenes in this movie.

Sexual references

In frustration at Tim, Tonya states that she “going to make a baby with the neighbour”.

After returning from the work party, still wearing the Mask, Tim gets into to bed with his wife. She asks him ‘What's got into you?!', to which he responds ‘Let's find out !'.

Nudity and sexual activity

Although there is no nudity in the above-mentioned scene, and Tim and Tonya are only seen to kiss, it is implied that they have sex. Tonya becomes pregnant after this.

Use of substances

There is no use of substances in this movie.

Coarse language

There is very little coarse humour, just occasional use of:

• shut up
• crappiest
• Dammit

The movie's message

The film's take home messages are about the importance of family, the responsibilities of parenthood, and learning to love people for who they are.

Values that parents may wish to encourage include:

• equal gender roles
• standing up for the family and protecting each other
• Otin forgiving his son his faults and inviting him back home.

The following content could be used by parents to discuss with their children what their own family's values are, and what the real life consequences can be of some actions and attitudes:

• Loki frequently lying to people, including his father.
• In desperation for a break, Tim putting Alvie in front of the TV for hours.
• Loki, Alvie and Otis using violent means to resolve their problems or to get their way.
• Otin calling his son a failure.