The Legend Of Zorro (2005) / Mask Of Zorro Boxset [Blu-ray] [2021]

Getting the sequel right for a critically loved movie that also had high audience scores is always a tough ask. Getting the original director back usually helps a lot. So why doesn't this one hit on all the levels Mask of Zorro did? Well, that's the question. It could be the seven year gap between the movies, it could be the different set of writers perhaps, but whatever it is Mask is so much better than Legend.Legend has an issue I feel between trying to decide if it is a comedy or a serious action adventure story. Yes, Mask had comedy in it, but it wasn't slapstick, it didn't feel rammed into the movie, it felt natural and situational. Legends turns at comedy only serve to bring the movie to a stop, to make it feel like it is stop/starting. The action is good, the chemistry between Banderas and Jones is still smouldering on screen so that helps a lot. The boy can get a little annoying at times and again pulls the story off of Zorro sometimes when the movie focuses on the kids adventures. I can only assume they thought there would be sequels with that character so they wanted to show his childhood <shrugs>The plot is disjointed and at times hard to follow, what exactly do these guys intend to do with their nitro? Blow up the entire Northern Army?! Which by the way the Civil War hadn't started yet when this movie sets itself so ... yeah, not sure why we see Confederate troops. We see that isn't possible when an entire train full only manages to blow up the actual train itself. The bad guy here is boring, he has no depth to him as Rafael Montero had in Mask. He is just a two dimensional antagonist, as is his henchman who bumbles about with his gang of hoods and threatens the locals for their land grants so they can build a railway through their property. Also the whole family dynamic drags the pace down when we have to deal with Zorro and Elena fighting, and then him living apart from his family and getting drunk. All unnecessary really when it is only there to give the Pinkertons leverage over Elena. Plus it makes no sense really. Elena knew what she was marrying, she knew Alejandro was Zorro as her father had been before him, so why is she so pissed at him? My question though is if the Pinkertons knew who Zorro was and needed help fighting Armand why not just ask Zorro?! They saw he didn't like the man anyway, he would have jumped at the chance, but instead there is this long drawn out boring backstory as they blackmail Elena to help them.Overall its ok, it's just not as good as Mask, it doesn't have the pacing, the plot or the characters to compare, but when Zorro does his thing it again lights up the screen for a brief moment.

This in my opinion is a great film and so needed in these uncertain times! Some of the best films are underappreciated when first released but grow in legend over the years. And this is one of those.Martin Campbell who directed gets more credit for his Bond film work than this. But I feel he had more freedom here than with the baggage of managing Bond fan expectations.I have to also admire this film for its universality in the sense of being a perfect family film. Anyone regardless of age will find plenty to enjoy. And The Legend of Zorro succeeds in giving us a pure form of entertainment which is true to its literary roots.From the second the film opens, you are transported to a most beautiful setting. The pace and buildup is a roller-coaster of fun. The second you see Antonio Banderas you just know that he is Zorro. The style, the movement and Antonio Banderas is just so cool without needing to pose.I would buy this film just for the opening chapter because the action is suspenseful and flows from strength to strength. It is so original.I see no point in going into the story as the element of surprise is ruined. But it keeps your interest until the end.I also think that Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas have a splendid chemistry. Both are great actors and you have to see the film to understand what I mean. Words could not do this justice. And the cast is very well chosen whether it be the villains or the supporting actors. They all add to the propelling of the story to its finale. They add a believability within this golden fantasy.I for one love the addition of the boy as it adds higher stakes to the story. It gives Zorro more scope and a progression to explore the inner turmoil for the character.To sum up, this film really takes you on a colourful journey where you feel at the end like you have spent time in beautiful Mexico 🇲🇽And Sony have delivered a beautiful video transfer to really immerse you in this superbly crafted swashbuckling adventure.

This 2005 western adventure is set in 1850, 9 years after the ‘The Mask of Zorro’ (1998),  and Don Alejandro de la Vega [Zorro - Antonio Banderas] is married to Elena [Catherine Zeta Jones] and has a son, Joaquin, but things don’t appear to be working between the couple. Undergoing a divorce and the feeling that the people no longer need him, he discovers that Elena is dating a scheming, dastardly count. So what will the hero do now?Although a sequel, you do not need to have seen the first instalment, effectively, this is a stand alone. This takes itself much more seriously, being a lot darker and sinister, and suffers for it and introduces many historical details many years before their real timeslot which detracts from the believability. The stunts, photography and action are still there, but this seems to have lulls between scenes.The disc offers play, audio set up [English or English audio descriptive], subtitles [Various English alternatives, Dutch and Hindi], scene selections and extra features [directors commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, multi angle, trailers].Whereas the original was full of ‘do good’ morality, this introduces many disrespectful elements that many parents will not be endeared to. In an attempt to introduce realism, the bad guys are not fools but sinister thugs so a lot of the charm has gone, as is much of the chemistry between the two leads, which has much to do with the plot. That’s not to say this is a bad film, it’s just different to the first and isn’t so family friendly, although still a PG rating and as such is still ***** viewing.