The Legend of Zorro

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: October 28, 2005

4.9	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 105 Ratings

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chuckyoOct 29, 2005

The critics' reviews are generally accurate. It has plenty of action, but, I guess you could say that the movie just isn't as sexy and fun as the first one was.

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ArielG.Feb 22, 2006

Mildly entertaining, well-directed and watchable, but ultimately unfulfilling in the end. It lacked the excitement and the 'big movie' experience of the prequel. One thing I disliked most about the movie was the corny dialogue. Mildly entertaining, well-directed and watchable, but ultimately unfulfilling in the end. It lacked the excitement and the 'big movie' experience of the prequel. One thing I disliked most about the movie was the corny dialogue. What did I particularly like about this movie? All the gratuitous shots of the lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones' ample cleavage. The action was well executed though, so action fans should like it.… Expand

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MovieGuysFeb 27, 2014

The Legend doesn't compare to The Mask, but is still a great Zorro movie that takes this great story beyond boundaries. What it lacks in acting and writing, it makes up for in story.

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Cinemassacre94Mar 20, 2016

Some sequels are made too soon, while others are made too late. The Legend of Zorro, Martin Campbell's follow-up to his well-received 1998 feature, The Mask of Zorro, falls into the latter category. It's difficult to say whether the filmSome sequels are made too soon, while others are made too late. The Legend of Zorro, Martin Campbell's follow-up to his well-received 1998 feature, The Mask of Zorro, falls into the latter category. It's difficult to say whether the film would have been better had it gone before cameras three or four years ago but, by 2005, it feels creaky and out-of-date. The production is suffused by an almost desperate attempt to recapture the mood of its predecessor, but the tone is forced rather than natural, and the resultant production is bloated, contrived, and not very entertaining. The Mask of Zorro worked because of its engaging mix of action, romance, and comedy. The Legend of Zorro goes 0-for-3, striking out as it tries (and fails) to recapture the pleasure offered by the earlier story of the swashbuckling superhero.

The Legend of Zorro opens in 1850, with California preparing to vote to become the 31st state. Certain forces, including those led by the racist McGivins (Nick Chinlund), will do anything to stop this, including murder and ballot theft. Enter Zorro (Antonio Banderas), the defender of the people, who punishes McGivins and ensures that the election runs smoothly. When the votes have been tabulated, Zorro doffs his mask and returns home as Don Alejandro de La Vega to his wife, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and his son, Joaquin (Adrian Alonso). An agreement with Elena would have Alejandro give up his alter-ego at this time, but he wonders if Zorro might still be needed. This leads to a heated argument, followed by a divorce. Alejandro becomes a drunkard, and Elena is wooed by a French count, Armand (Rufus Sewell), who has come to California to cultivate grapes for wine. Soon, however, it becomes clear that Armand is up to no good. He has ties to McGivins and is plotting something dastardly. It's up to Zorro to stop these two and save Elena.

For the talent involved, The Mask of Zorro represented perfect timing. Anthony Hopkins was looking for something to show off his lighter side. Antonio Banderas used it as an opportunity to maintain his status as a star/sex symbol. And Catherine Zeta-Jones vaulted from near obscurity to the A-list (capturing Michael Douglas' attention in the process). The constellations are not as well aligned for The Legend of Zorro. Banderas hasn't been a big name for years. Zeta-Jones is no longer a fresh face. And Hopkins isn't in the movie. Moreover, the chemistry between the two leads, which was one of the highlights of the 1998 outing, has evaporated during the intervening years. Despite numerous plot contortions designed to construct the framework for an artificial resurgence of the romance between Alejandro and Elena, Banderas and Zeta-Jones no longer have the ability to generate sparks, much less fire.

The action in The Legend of Zorro is routine. The swordfights produce little in the way of excitement or suspense. Equally lifeless are the saccharine "bonding" attempts between Alejandro and his son. The boy admires Zorro for his flair, but dislikes his father for what he perceives to be cowardice. Alejandro tries to teach his son that there are better ways than resorting to violence, but it's a lesson the movie abandons, because violence is more fun on-screen that pacifism. The Legend of Zorro is also cursed with two of the least interesting bad guys in recent memory. While McGivens and Armand are unquestionably villainous, there's nothing about them to cause audiences to hiss. They're boring. Nick Chinlund tries to do a little over-the-top ranting, but it comes across as second-rate. And Rufus Sewell fails to convince us that he's more than an effeminate fop. Never do we believe that either of these men is in Zorro's league. The question is not whether they will be toppled, but why it requires an inflated running time of more than two hours for the swashbuckler to get the job done.

One could argue that the influx of "new" superhero movies since 1998 has made Zorro outdated. When The Mask of Zorro was released, the cinematic landscape was a superhero wasteland. Since then, we've seen the emergence of the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, and (a re-imagined) Batman. It's a crowded field, and this diluted version of Zorro doesn't hold up. Zorro has a distinguished history, dating back to 1919. It's unfortunate that the latest installment of his saga makes him look like a relic who's ready for retirement.… Expand

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MovieGeeksApr 1, 2016

The trouble with sequels is that most are obliged to outperform their forerunners in the most obvious ways. Bigger, faster and more spectacular is usually the rule. Strenuously applied to "The Legend of Zorro," the sequel to the 1998The trouble with sequels is that most are obliged to outperform their forerunners in the most obvious ways. Bigger, faster and more spectacular is usually the rule. Strenuously applied to "The Legend of Zorro," the sequel to the 1998 blockbuster "The Mask of Zorro," that rule translates into busier, sloppier, less coherent and more frantic. Subtlety is out the window.

This fitfully entertaining mess of a movie was directed by Martin Campbell from a screenplay by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Especially in its jampacked final 45 minutes, it leaps off the precipice like the rider who jumps (Zorro himself) from a ledge onto a speeding train that disperses a crowd as it races toward a tunnel. It's all accomplished by brazen cut-away editing. Beyond the breakneck velocity of that editing, which generates its own momentum, little suspense is sustained; speed rules, but the pace is hectic and haranguing. All the while, James Horner's stampeding pseudo-Spanish score huffs and puffs, working overtime to conjure a bullfighters' marathon.

"The Legend of Zorro" brings back Antonio Banderas, looking considerably older and in some shots haggard and flabby, as Don Alejandro de la Vega and his alter ego, Zorro, the original caped crusader, invented by Johnston McCulley in a 1919 novel. The voluptuous Catherine Zeta-Jones returns as his buxom wife, Elena, a 21st-century Hedy Lamarr, who smolders even in repose.

In this sequel-ready episode, the fun couple come apart at the beginning of the story, then reconnect just in time to save the still-expanding United States of America from falling into the hands of Confederate villains armed with a new secret weapon, nitroglycerin disguised as soap; California's statehood also hangs in the balance.

This fantasy of American history, of course, is utterly bogus in the same way that the history trotted out in a movie like "National Treasure" is fiction. But, hey! This is just a rootin'-tootin' daydream of the Old West, a heck of a yarn whose relationship to reality is at best tangential.

"The Legend of Zorro" could be dubbed the family edition of the myth, since the fun couple have spawned a son, Joaquin (Adrian Alonso), who at 10 is already a fearless action hero who affects the course of American history. The unfortunate actor playing Joaquin has mouthfuls of cutesy pseudo-tough-guy dialogue that comes out sounding strained and affected. Look out, however, for Mr. Alonso, or for some other soon-to-be adolescent, to take over the franchise if it is to be picked up for further episodes, which is probably not a good idea.

Like "National Treasure," "The Legend of Zorro" throws in a large pinch of the occult. It imagines that in 1850, when California was just becoming the 31st state of the Union, a mysterious secret Spanish fraternity, the knights of Aragon, was scheming to rule the world through its agent, the evil Count Armand (Rufus Sewell), a school friend of Elena's. To Don Alejandro's chagrin, Elena seems willing to become Armand's new trophy wife.

Early in the story, the count celebrates the opening of a fancy winery that doubles as a front for his assembly line of explosives. Not even in the ritziest corners of Napa wine country have you seen a crowd as delirious or pyrotechnics as excessive as the fireworks bursting around Armand's mansion like explosive frosting on a wedding cake.

Unlike most his-and-hers action teams, Mr. Banderas and Ms. Zeta-Jones enjoy combustible chemistry; in a couple of backbending clinches they munch hungrily on each other's mouths, and Ms. Zeta-Jones seems genuinely dazed with desire when she comes up for air. Their chemistry notwithstanding, neither star is required to act beyond putting on a few stock grimaces. All Mr. Banderas has to do is to direct thunderous scowls in the direction of this or that villain. Ms. Zeta-Jones's principal task (particularly when wearing pearls) is to embody fleshy sultriness and to express mild indignation when vexed.

This is a hiss-the-villain, cheer-the-hero kind of movie. The slimiest of several bad guys is Armand's election-stealing, land-grabbing, cackling henchman, Jacob McGivens (Nick Chinlund), a grinning fiend with removable brown teeth and a hideous scar. His comically exaggerated caricature of evil embodies the collapse of the franchise that originally embraced and sent up clichés with a knowing sense of humor and a hint of subtlety. No longer.… Expand

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RobwinzJul 31, 2020

What a let down to the first, I really enjoyed the first one quite a bit but I think the second sort of lost it's charm. Also, the movie's got so much going on it's hard to keep up. The only things I enjoyed about this would have to be theWhat a let down to the first, I really enjoyed the first one quite a bit but I think the second sort of lost it's charm. Also, the movie's got so much going on it's hard to keep up. The only things I enjoyed about this would have to be the sword fights and the train scene that's about it but apart from that, it's not great or no where near as good as the first was.… Expand

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