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When was the last time you had your buckle properly swashed? If, like me, you're not transported by the faux fur-flying of
Pirates of the Caribbean, the last time was probably 1998's exhilarating
The Mask of Zorro. Seven years later, director Martin Campbell reunites Antonio Banderas as Don Alejandro de la Vega, a.k.a. Zorro, and Catherine Zeta-Jones as his wife Elena. Ten years have passed in Zorro's world: husband and wife have a precocious child, Joaquin. And with California on the brink of statehood, Zorro's protection is still very much in demand, in spite of the hero's marital promise to retire. This sticking point finds Don Alejandro de la Vega divorced and depressed, but before you can say
Spy Kids, the whole family is vaulting around and putting the hurt on bad guys. A drop in rating from PG-13 to PG strikes a lighter and less bloody tone, and the sequel is more overtly formulaic than its predecessor. At 129 minutes,
The Legend of Zorro also wears out its welcome, but it's still a satisfying old-Hollywood, adventure-melodrama pastiche with its stars in fine fettle and a few rip-roaring action scenes.
