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Category:    Home > Reviews > Aciton > Adventure > Swords > Hero > Legend Of Zorro (Blu-ray)

Legend Of Zorro (Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B+     Sound: A-     Extras: C-     Film: D

 

 

Why is the Antonio Banderas version of Zorro so forgettable, despite Steven Spielberg as producer and two-time James Bond director Martin Campbell at the helm?  Because the fight scenes that had panache in the better previous films are jokey and highly over-choreographed here, the stories unmemorable, the villains cardboard and the overall effect muddy.  The Legend Of Zorro follows the more commercially and critically successful The Mask Of Zorro from 1998, so it is seven years later and the energy is not even here as it was before.

 

There is also the strange feeling that because the film had minority leads, that is why a sequel was so neglected for so long, whether true or not.  For a first film that was such a hit, you’d think a sequel in any way would have arrived faster.  Perhaps is just the feeling that they are going through the motions, which is certainly the case here.  And what is the new adventure about?  Zorro has been thrown out of the house by his wife!

 

Yes, you read that right.  Could you imagine that as the pretext for any other major hero franchise?  It turns out to be condescending in its celebration of domesticity as some sick “happy trap” and things promptly get worse from there.  It seems like a desperate ploy and as the film drags on, things get worse.  Rufus Sewell, a grossly underrated actor, becomes the ex-wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) new lover, but Sewell once again plays the villain.  That just screams how tired and wasteful the whole affair is.  The result is one of the worst films ever to bear the Zorro name and makes you think “what were they thinking” and worse.  Avoid this turkey!

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition is pretty good as shot by Campbell’s longtime Director of Photography Phil Meheux, B.S.C., who knows how to make a good looking film.  However, the combination of too much digital work and some flaws in this transfer hold back a decent Super 35mm shoot.  The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix fares better and is a decent sound mix, in part because the best mix for this film in theaters was a Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) 7.1 mix resulting in the default highlight of this dud.  James Horner’s score is not one of his best, though.

 

Extras include two multi-angle scene deconstructions, deleted scenes with optional Campbell commentary, Campbell/Meheux feature length audio commentary and four behind the scenes featurettes covering stunts, trains, visual effects and more.

 

 

You can read more about the original 1940 Mark Of Zorro at this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3155/Mark+of+Zorro

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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