It has been twenty years since Don Diego de la Vega fought Spanish oppression in Alta California as the legendary romantic hero, Zorro. Having escaped from prison he transforms troubled bandit Alejandro into his successor, in order to foil the plans of the tyrannical Don Rafael Montero who robbed him of his freedom, his wife and his precious daughter.
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Prior to 1998, most people thought of Zorro as Disney's first superhero for TV live action back in the 1950s. In 1997 I saw a teaser trailer for this live action version of the tale starring Antonio Banderas as the main guy and a young unknown named Catherine Zeta Jones (who would soon marry her hubby Michael Douglas) who would go on to star along Sean Connery in Entrapment the following year. It would become the director of GoldenEye, Martin Campbell, his last great hit. I saw it in the theater and enjoyed it with my late Nana. The PG-13 rating is reasonable given its innuendo and swordsplay. It would soon be followed by a prequel, The Legend of Zorro ,which failed to capture the magic of this film. Another TV series would soon follow, this time aimed at hispanic audiences.
This is one of the most flawless, romantic, adventure stories ever put on film.Martin Campbell did everything right with this film (well this time...we don't talk about "The Legend of Zorro" here...).It's incredibly well made, the cinematography is fantastic, the soundtrack by James Horner is very fitting and great as always and all the actors giving top performances.The action sequences are exceptionally great, we know from Campbells Bond-movies that he does a good job, but this movie does way more than that. It's fast and energetic, all stunts are real and nothings covered through fast editing or anything. Also the romance is great, because both characters are strong and likable.And this movie is much darker and dramatic then most of the movies which came out recently (*cough* Rogue one *cough*), but also lighthearted enough to never feel depressing, but entertaining as hell.This is my favourite Martin Campbell movie, and these are my favourite performances by Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins to date.If you like classic movies with romance, drama, adventure and great training montages, then this is the film for you...
Let's get this straight - Batman Begins currently sits at 8.4 on IMDb, but this is less than 7. What? No. These kind of inconsistencies are a reflection of how dumb the masses really are.This film is infinitely better written and directed and acted than the Batman films. The script is clever and interesting, the humour is spot on (didn't even exist in Batman Begins), you can suspend disbelief to the action and really enjoy it (unlike most films these days with thousands of half-second edits and a melee of mess), there's a proper villain (actually two), and the story makes bloody sense.The characters are all well developed and the pacing is perfect. You see, here's the thing, dumb masses: We need characters we can understand and care about in order to care about the film. If this film went the Batman way and just had fast scene after fast scene with a rushed narrative, no-one would care and it would just be another dumb action movie.Clearly The Mask of Zorro loses out because it doesn't have the marketing muscle and brand name of "Batman".My rating: 4/5
The Mask of Zorro (1998): Dir: Martin Campbell / Cast: Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Stuart Wilson, Matt Letscher: Surprisingly successful film about the legacy and secret regarding the mask that shields the identity of Zorro. Anthony Hopkins plays an ageing Zorro who witnesses the murder of his wife and abduction of his son. Twenty years pass and he frees himself from captivity and sets out to train someone to carry on the legacy. Well written setup branches into well placed humour before climaxing with typical action. Directed by Martin Campbell who previously made the exhilarating 007 film Goldeneye. Hopkins is an appropriate ageing Zorro out to avenge the wrong done to his family as well as continue his legacy through another. Antonio Banderas is on target as young Zorro with a lot of great humour to boot. Stuart Wilson plays the villain who causes the tension then sets out upon a new scheme until his past returns to haunt him in the form of a black mask. Catherine Zeta-Jones shows grace and wit as she begins to recall her past that her mind had blocked out. Matt Letscher plays another villain whose murderous nature is targeted for termination. The purpose is to bring the popular comic book to screen but unlike many of its kind, this film plays out its pointless charade with a great deal of grand humour and sword play. Score: 9 / 10
