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In response to the critical drubbing he received for "Armageddon," director Michael Bay pointed to the box office receipts and speculated that film critics may be out of touch with popular tastes. Hopefully, Bay will catch a screening of "The Mask of Zorro" and realize that it's still possible to make a rousing popcorn flick without treating your audience like wide-eyed rubes suffering from attention-deficit disorder.
Packed with action, intrigue, humor and romance, "The Mask of Zorro" has all the payoffs one expects from a contemporary big summer movie, with the style of a classic Errol Flynn swashbuckler. It's the kind of film that leaves you sighing at the end, not just out of satisfaction, but also in relief that they didn't screw it up. Put that in your rocket- launcher and smoke it, Mr. Bay.
The prologue begins in 1821, when two young brothers help Zorro prevent the execution of a group of peasants. We learn that Zorro is the aristocratic Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), mortal enemy of vile Spanish governor Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson). Just when the triumphant Don Diego is ready to retire and devote himself to his wife and young daughter, Montero invades his home and exacts a horrifying revenge.
Twenty years later, Montero returns with a new scheme for power. The aging Zorro recruits one of the brothers who helped him so long ago, outlaw Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas), and trains him to continue his legacy. Complicating things is the presence of the beautiful Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Don Diego's daughter, who Montero kidnapped and raised as his own.
"The Mask of Zorro" works because it takes the time to actually set up the story, and the trouble to create three-dimensional characters whose fates matter to the viewer. Having a whale of a cast doesn't hurt, either.
Anthony Hopkins is wonderful as the graying hero. His Zorro is noble, witty and just a bit full of himself. He insists on perfection as he trains young Murrieta, and has the strength of character to make you understand why the bandit obeys.
As the new Zorro, Antonio Banderas shines in a role he was born to play. Rakishly handsome, Banderas convinces both as an outlaw and later, as a hero. His Murrieta has a rough-hewn sense of style and a chip on his shoulder that Don Diego is more than happy to knock off. The two men work well together, despite their clashing egos.
Catherine Zeta-Jones proves that she's more than just an incredibly beautiful face as the smoldering Elena. Clearly her father's daughter, her fiery eyes glisten with defiance and intelligence. Sparks quickly fly between her and the dashing Murrieta, adding sexual chemistry to the film's mixture of passion and derring-do.
Of course, characters as rich as these need a juicy villain and Stuart Wilson gives them one as Montero, investing him with enough humanity to make his wicked deeds all the more horrifying.
Director Martin Campbell does an exceptional job bringing the script to life, giving the production a rich, fluid feel as he dances between heroics, romance and humor. The stunts and sword fights have a snap to them and the audience truly becomes involved in the action, even at its most far-fetched, thanks in large part to the passion given the characters. As opposed to typical summer entertainment, "Zorro" has only one big explosion. That one explosion pays off beautifully, because the filmmakers understand that restraint always works better than overkill.
At 136 minutes, "The Mask of Zorro" is just a little too long. As good as the sword fights and narrow escapes are, a few less would have helped this larger-than-life adventure. But that's small criticism for the first summer popcorn movie of 1998 to fully deliver all it promised.
By : Ed Johnson-Ott
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rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup
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The Zorro tale has been treated more than two dozen times in movies, since the silent days. I was not completely familiar with it, though, and until recently the most exposure I had to it was my plate-and-mug set from childhood. I liked the marketing, so it follows I would like the movie too.
The previews for *The Mask of Zorro* were quite long and practically gave away the whole movie. So I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. There was a lot more intelligence and thought in this recent incarnation. It's got a lot of humor and wit to go along with all the swashbuckling and swaggering.
There is some heavyhandedness, melodrama, and even some outright silliness, but the movie is enjoyable nonetheless. It is fast-paced and engaging. Perfect for a summer movie, and a lot more rollicking than any of those comets or lizards bent on destroying New York City.
The story is your basic good-versus-evil tale. Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson) is an inate baddie who is raping the resources of Mexican-held California in 1821. He is more than willing to kill innocents to lure the mysterious Zorro out into the open. But Zorros is able to fend off countless attackers with vigor and swordsmanship. He gets a little help from the Murrieta brothers along the way.
Flash ahead to 20 years later. Don Rafael has arrested Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) and absconded to Spain with Elena de la Vega as his own daughter. But he returns as governor of California and brings her fully grown back (with Catherine Zeta-Jones as the full-figured Elena) with him. De la Vega gets out of prison and is seeking revenge. Along the way he re-encounters the grown-up Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas), now an ungroomed horsethief. A tale of revenge and honor ensues, as worthy of the tradition as other tales of this ilk, like the better known *Count of Monte Cristo*. Both Zorros are heroes to the people; the elder Zorro is a rich man who doesn't have to help anyone, but follows a higher moral code. I guess that's what makes him so sexy. That, and long hair. It all depends on whom is asked.
While Don Rafael and a younger baddie, Captain Love (Matthew Letscher) scheme to use California gold to buy the land from the Mexican government, using natives to mine in in concentration-camp-like conditions, de la Vega mentors Murrieta in swordsmanship and charm so they can both exact revenge on their mortal enemies. These are among the most enjoyable scenes.
There is a lot of swordplay and impossible escapes in *The Mask of Zorro*, some of them very comic. Some of them are also very heartstopping. It is all abetted by great music and lavish costumes and set design.
Hopkins is by far the best actor in the bunch. Catherine Zeta Jones is rather good also (watch for her "cleavage stage right" scene). Bandaras is pretty good too; it's hard to believe, sometimes, that he's not just there to look good and make a good percentage of the audience pant with sexual desire. He's not a bad actor, but he's no Anthony Hopkins, who's not made a bad movie for the past decade. But, Hopkins and Bandaras are both worthy successors to the mantle first made famous by Douglas Fairbanks in the silent era. He did his own stunts though. Today a small army is on hand to help in that department.
Directed by Martin Campbell; original music by James Horner; production design by Cecilia Montiel; costume design by Graciela Mazón.
Audience Note: A woman in front of us actually *gasped* when Don Rafael opened a box to reveal a single bar of gold. Andrea and I could not stop laughing.
By : Seth Bookey
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