The Legend Of Zorro Review

When we last saw Don Alejandro de la Vega (Antonio Banderas), he and his wife Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), they were busy playing happy families following the birth of their son Joaquin. But seven years later things are a bit strained thanks to Alejandro's exploits as the masked vigilante Zorro. So when Elena leaves him, Alejandro hits the skids a bit but not too much to recognise the threat posed by a shady French aristo played by Rufus Sewell.

"The Mask Of Zorro" was one of the more shamelessly enjoyable films of recent years so director Martin Campbell was always going to have a fight on his hands to recreate the magic. But he's had a fair stab of it with "The Legend Of Zorro" as Banderas and Zeta-Jones easily slip back into the chemistry they shared almost a decade ago. Young Adrian Alonso too is a decent addition to the mix as their rebellious kid.

The action and the knowing humour of the original is also evident in spades as Campbell has done his best to create a fun and fast Saturday morning picture show style adventure. Swordfights, runaway trains and unlikely escapes are the order of the day and while it's rather predictable, it's also oodles of fun.

The movie might be a touch long at just over two hours and Sewell's accent sounds like something straight out of "'Allo 'Allo". But when a film is as laidback and fun as "The Legend Of Zorro", then they're fairly easy points to forgive.