Ahoy, squirts! Quint here, struggling to survive this amazing force of nature that's working its way through my body at the moment. No, it's not menopause, nor is it time for "Aunt Flo" to come and visit. I'm a man, that doesn't happen to me, you know. Instead, what started off as a slightly annoying headcold has turned in to either a rougher than usual flu or a higher form of Captain Tripps. Hopefully it's the former as I have a few gifts I'm very much looking forward to opening in the near future!

Anyway, it seems New Line may deserve a lump of coal in their stocking this year if they're subjecting people to a movie that's as bad as it appears. Both trailers have given me no hope of a good film. Now all I have to shoot for is a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS level of amusement. Who knows? Maybe we'll all be surprised. It is the time of year to be thinking well of everything and everybody (sarcastic remark removed due to infinite amount of folks without an understanding of my deeply biting wit gleamed from the god of such things, George Carlin.), so I will send out good vibes... or maybe just some indifferent vibes in the direction of this film. I mean, the below review isn't WHOLLY negative, only mostly...

Greetings, programs and users!

Tron here with a review of the most highly anticipated film for the start of 2005.  Ok, it probably doesn't make the top 20 lists of must see movies for 2005 for most people. It probably strikes the curiosity of most film and comic geeks on what direction the story of The Mask could go towards in a sequel. The trailer that appeared last month seemed slightly amusing, but nothing that really stood out that this film was going to be a superb blockbuster. What you see is what you get. In fact, Son of the Mask is a prime example of why some sequels should never get made.

I must tell you that this screening was in the old lair of Jack Valenti at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). A quaint little theaters of 70 seats, decent sound system, DLP projection and not a morsel of popcorn to be founding the building.

Here is the basic plot and summary review without spoilers……..

Loki (Alan Cumming), the Norse god of mischief was given an ultimatum by his father, Odin (Bob Hoskins), to locate and retrieve his lost mask. Tim Avery (Jamie Kennedy) soon to be family man and aspiring cartoonist working as an entry-level position at an animation studio is the recipient of the mask in this installment of the series. With his initial encounter with the mask, his life is changed with the birth of his son, which possess the same powers of the mask. But beware, Loki is hot on the trail looking for his mask. Watch how the mask messes up someone's life again and see how he gets out of a screwed up situation. It is hard to describe what this movie is lacking to be a decent flick. Was it the absence of Jim Carey? Could it be a story that might have been reworked after Jim Carey turned down the role? Could it be the director? It might just be that the storyline wasn't strong enough and hold its own weight. I didn't find much trouble with the casting or special effects of the film. From my best judgment as many readers can tell from the trailer is that this film, this is a rush to market sequel film to cash in. The crowd of about 30 people who had the unfortunate opportunity to see this film barely chuckled throughout the film. Even a few children and a couple of teenagers were basically silent during the screening. I would only recommend this film for the following types of movie viewers,,,,comic magazine or classic cartoon fanatics who cant wait for a video release ,children under seven or movie goers who have to see every film that hits the theaters.

BEWARE!!!!! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!   Do you really care?

Ok let's give away a few spoilers to describe the good, bad and mediocre of the film……………

Just the facts……

a) The only reoccurring character is Dr. Arthur Neuman (Ben Stein ) who has a face-off with Loki in search of his lost mask.

b) The funniest dialogue in the film is between Loki and Odin. There should have been a few more scenes with the two characters.

c) Jamie Kennedy is decent as a mask possessed individual, but the earliest transformation was introduced early in the film. The scene tried to copy the musical number from the first film. The only thing that made me laugh was a brief glimpse of the transformed Tim Avery dressed up as Neil Diamond.

d) Tim Avery still possessed from the Mask, makes it back home after the company Halloween party to have an intimate scene with his wife…..months later we have Alvey Avery aka  Son of the Mask.

e) Recycled from the previous flick is the dog. Same breed, same transformed look, but now the dog has competition battling it out with the new baby. It crossed my mind that the entire "Tex Avery" ummmm……. I mean "Tim Avery"style cartoon humor of the baby and the dog matching wits and weights against one another. I almost thought I was watching "Cats and Dogs". Guess what?…same director.

f) Even a spoof on Michigan J. Frog wasn't funny. Think I will watch Spaceballs tonight to laugh at a great spoof of a Warner Brothers classic.

g) The only other scene that seemed to be funny was a diaper-changing scene.

I just don't get it….could this  movie work without centering on Tex Avery style cartoon humor? I thought in the first film that the powers and style of possession comes from the person wearing the mask. This movie makes it seem that Loki grew up watching cartoons when his powers look identical to the previous film.

The rest of the film spite all of the cartoon slapstick and decent special effects and better than average acting, still I felt very numb walking out of the theater. In fact the only reason I tortured myself sitting through this whole flick was in order to give a review. I should have spent it better by going home to Mrs. Tron (aka Yori).

Please do yourself a favor and believe your instincts when you watch the trailer for this flick. I wouldn't be surprised that this flick ends up being released straight to video.

This is TRON…..end of line……..