Zorro Rides Again

by Charly Shelton

Zorro comes to the big screen once again in “The Legend of Zorro,” a sequel to the 1998 film “The Mask of Zorro.” Again starring Antonio Banderas as Don Alejandro de la Vega, a.k.a. Zorro, and Catherine Zeta-Jones as his wife, Elena.

Diego and Elena are having marital problems because his double life is taking too much time away from his family. With California so close to becoming a state in the Union, Zorro is needed more than ever.

Three months after their divorce, Zorro has still not been called for help. When Diego finds his wife is now involved with a French dignitary he is infuriated. What he doesn’t know is that Elena is working undercover to bring this criminal down before he can destroy California.

As the statehood draws closer, the dignitary and his team are planning to use newly discovered nitro-glycerin to blow up parts of the territory. Zorro’s greatest ride is upon him, and the fate of the United States depends on him.

This sequel is better than “The Mask of Zorro.” Now that the characters are established, we can see Zorro at his finest. Though this edition lacks a fatherly influence in Anthony Hopkins, the chemistry between Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones keeps the audience enthralled for a good part of the film, and when it doesn’t, the action and explosions from Zorro’s epic battles are visually breath-taking. This is one of the great action movies of the year. Directed by Martin Campbell, who directed the first Zorro film. It stars, Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta- Jones, this film is rated PG-13.

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(Rating: 5 out of 5.)