It’s been seven years since Antonio Banderas first carved
a Z into the threads of Catherine Zeta Jones’s cossie, but
now Zorro is back – as equally bloated as the
re-emergence is belated. Granted, the holes and hiccups are only more
visible because the first was such a near-perfect quiet achiever, and
this one’s seemingly certain that it’s won the race before
the pistol’s even sounded. It deserves to be bought down a couple
of notches, right? Set ten years after the last instalment, The Legend of Zorro
sees the veiled avenger, now married with son, attempting to keep the
mask-on-ice for a while in an effort to save his nuptials. She
eventually does part ways with her man and runs into the arms of
– yep, you guessed it – a closet nasty. Needless to
say, Zorro rides again – this time to catch the rogue
that’s snatched his wife, and to foil the villain’s plans
to destroy California. There’s something a little
off-kilter with the sequel. Whilst the first seemed intent on being
simply a serious-enough adventure jaunt with three amazing performers
out front, this one seems intent on using for padding what so many
Hollywood films are using these days – awful computer effects,
cheesy one-liners and yawnable first-half’s. Replacing Anthony
Hopkins – who’s not back for this one – with the
output of an I-mac? Never a good idea. Still, there’s
enough here to please fans of the first film. The cinematography looks
quite sublime at times, Banderas is as good as ever in his trademark
role, and though it seems a little too-much ‘Warner Bros.Movie
World Wild West Stunt-show’ at times – the well-staged
action sequences are a hoot, especially the final sequence aboard a
moving train. It’s also good to see a film that the whole family
can enjoy together – something that’s low on body count,
and steers away from the sexually suggestive or dirty natter that so
many action-fests incorporate these days. With the inclusion of Zorro’s kid this time around, it seems the producers are leaving the gate wide-open for a Son of Zorro
sometime in the future. Something tells me that might never come to
fruition though - there just doesn’t seem to be enough hot air in
this franchise balloon to keep it flying. EXTRAS The
usual bounty awaits all those who dare to purchase. Director and
Cinematographer Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Featurettes. Like the film
itself, the whole package seems a little half-assed. Conclusion:
Movie 65% Extras: 60% 
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