What woman can resist a mysterious masked man with a delicious accent and a horse that can rear up on command just in time for a photo op against the setting sun? Zorro is one Latin lover who has been charming the ladies for decades. Who better to portray him in THE LEGEND OF ZORRO than the luscious Antonio Banderas, reprising his role from 1998's THE MASK OF ZORRO. For those of you who remember that film, Banderas was something of an anti-hero in that movie--a wisecracking ne'er do well recruited by Anthony Hopkins to don the infamous mask, defend the common man, and win the heart of Hopkins' winsome long-lost daughter Elena.In LEGEND, ten years have passed and Alejandro/Zorro is still married to his beloved Elena and is the doting papa of little Joaquin, a precocious budding Mini-Zorro. Taking a cue from SHREK II, the screenwriters amped up the romance in the movie by driving a wedge between Zorro and Elena at the very beginning of the movie. This sets the stage for several humorous and passionate encounters worthy of any historical romance with a feuding hero and heroine destined to end up in each others' arms.
I'm happy to report that Antonio is still hot and even after bearing 2 of Michael Douglas's children, Catherine Zeta-Jones is still so beautiful it hurts your eyes to look at her. (And after seeing her in those gorgeous 1850's period costumes, I'm convinced she's the only actress working today who could actually do the role of Scarlett O'Hara justice.)
If you're a sucker for an old-fashioned swashbuckler with delightful touches of humor and a sexy undercurrent of romance, I highly recommend you grab the family and take in THE LEGEND OF ZORRO. (Although there is a little violence, I think I can recommend it for most ages. There was a little boy behind us who was plainly delighted by the entire movie, especially little Mini-Zorro.)
