The Legend of Zorro [PG]

[PG]
Sony Pictures
DVD Release Date: January 31, 2006

[yasr_overall_rating]

 

Director: Martin Campbell
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Rufus Sewell, Adrian Alonso

The Legend of Zorro, which takes place ten years after the conclusion of 1998’s hit The Mask of Zorro, once again features Antonio Banderas (Once Upon A Time In Mexico) as Don Alejandro de la Vega, otherwise known as Zorro, and Catherine Zeta Jones (Chicago) as Elena de la Vega, the masked man’s beautiful wife.

Much like it’s predecessor, this movie mixes history with legend as Zorro continues to fight for California’s freedom, assisting in its finding statehood. With the official announcement of California being voted to join America as a free state, there is much to dispute by a variety of third-party characters, among them being religious fanatics who attempt to take over the land as well as political leaders from the south who fear what the addition of another free state would mean to the Union, as this would result in a greater number of free states as opposed to slave states.

The underlying conflict throughout The Legend of Zorro is that with California’s eventual statehood, Zorro would no longer be needed to protect the people he feels obligated to, as the political leaders feel that such responsibility would be better suited for state law enforcers. This is also a personal conflict that has Alejandro and Elena at odds with one another, as Elena feels that Alejandro’s commitment to his family is not as strong as his desire to continue to where the mask.

With Banderas reigning superior as expected in his portrayal of the ultimate action hero, it is the newcomer, Adrian Alonso, as Joaquin, the 10-year-old son of Alejandro and Elena, who at times offers flashes of what may in fact be the next generation’s Zorro with fearless defiance and acrobats that mirrors his father’s famed alter-ego. Along with the humor provided by Alonso, much of the comedy in the film comes from Banderas’ interactions with Tornado, Zorro’s trusty horse.

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The main issue at hand that differentiates the two films is that there does not seem to be the dedicated focus of developing the villainous characters in this entry as there was in The Mask of Zorro. Rather than having one main villain who is greatly motivated to keep Zorro from saving California, there are several foes at hand, all of which seem rather uninspired. The main villain would be the aristocrat conspirator Count Armand (Rufus Sewall – Tristan & Isolde), whose rivalry with Banderas’ character is solely based on his affection for Alejandro’s wife and not so much with the legendary vigilante. Accordingly, Alejandro’s alter-ego finds himself continuously battling a lesser group made up of “Christians” who feel that the land is of the Lord’s, giving them the right to do as they please.

Despite the films shortcomings, lacking a bit of the charm that led to the success of Banderas’ initial run as the man behind the mask, the story itself flows nicely and the action really picks up in the last half-hour of the film, and as unrealistic as it would be to expect one hero to take on multiple villains at a time and find himself victorious, it is this fantasy of sorts that makes the character of Zorro so appealing, with his old-fashioned swashbuckling techniques continuously winning over gunplay. While not the epic sequel that fans of the franchise may have hoped for, The Legend of Zorro does the franchise justice with its balanced combination of action, romance, and comedy, and is sure to leave viewers to hope that the legend continues, as “the world needs Zorro”.

 

Special Features:

· Director and Cinematographer Commentary – The option to view the movie with such commentary.

· Featurettes – Four behind-the-scenes featurettes: Stunts, Visual Effects, Armand’s Party, and Playing With Trains.

· Deleted Scenes – An alternate opening and ending to the movie that had a much older Joaquin writing the “Legend of Zorro” in a manuscript, basically writing the events of the movie. The alternate ending, after having Joaquin finishing the story, saw him ride off into the sunset as the “new” Zorro, with his aging parents looking on from the distance, the commentary here explained that this ending was not used because it would, in effect, mean that Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones would not be able to return for a subsequent sequel. Other deleted scenes are “Alejandro Drops Off Joaquin,” “Chinatown,” and “Symphony By The Bay.”

Each of the deleted scenes can be viewed with or without director’s commentary. The alternate opening and ending, however, can only be viewed with commentary.

· Multi-Angle – A unique feature that offers two separate scenes from the movie, “Armand’s Party” and “Winery Fight,” presented in a multi-angled format which allows the viewer to compare rehearsal footage, behind-the-scenes footage, and the actual scene from the film, by using the angle button on the DVD player’s remote control.

· Previews – Along with the theatrical trailer for 1998’s The Mask of Zorro, there are also trailers for Sony Pictures’ Open Season, Monster House, The Pink Panther, Memoirs of A Geisha, Sueno, and The Gospel.

 

– Christopher Griffin