This is such a beautiful interpretation of a long absent hero. I remember loving the Disney version when I was little and this was such an exciting moment. Bringing back the character in a way that pays homage to the original incarnation, but also creating a new story is the best way to go about it. Anthony Hopkins does a great job of brining back Don Diego de la Vega from cinematic death and making him just as charming and undeniably cool. Even when he plays the older version of the character, it's obvious how powerful his performance is. However, it really is Antonio Banderas' performance as the new Zorro, Alejandro Murrieta, that steals the show and makes you truly feel the weight of the legendary character. His approach is so much fun to watch. Martin Campbell sure makes an effort to have Zorro appear larger than life. I don't think I've ever seen such a large scale accompanying the character. He gives us ridiculously cool action sequences, amazing sets and a realistic backdrop of California in the 1800s. This also pits Zorro against two extremely evil villains that make for a lot of intensity. Having a cannibalistic blonde-haired goon is just a taste of the dynamite characters. I remember being completely blown away as a nine-year-old in the theater and it still sort've has the same effect all these years later.

"The Mask of Zorro" has always been, and always will be, one of my favorite movies. I watched it again on Easter Sunday for the first time in a while and it wasn't as fun as I remembered it to be. Well, I picked the right time to review this since a new version of Zorro is in the offing and one of the film's stars, Anthony Hopkins, will be seen in "Thor" next week. The film is set in the 1800s when Mexico was under Spanish rule and Mexicans were colonizing California. When the Spainsh push the Mexican's buttons too much, one man takes care of it: Zorro. He's got the black mask, cape, gets around in a black horse, his hifeout is a cave, go ahead and call him the Mexican Batman. After Zorro (Anthony Hopkins) witnesses the murder of his wife and kidnapping of his daughter, he becomes depressed and hangs up the Zorro suit for good. But when he comes across Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas), a man who wants to avenge the death of his brother, Mr. Hopkins gives him the mask and cape to avenge the death of his brother held responsible from a merciless general. "Zorro" moves at a good pace and features plenty of action. If you were to mix the superhero genre with a swashbuckler, you get "The Mask of Zorro". The film features entertaining performances from the main and supporting cast, perfect production design and shooting style, and delivers barrel loads of fun. This'll probably be the only time you will see Hannibal Lecter, or Odin, with a tan and a Hispanic accent. Anthony Hopkins plays a good Mexican. He also adds emotion into it since his character has been throught some tough times. But don't expect a lot of emotion, this film is not a tearjerker. Antonio Banderas will always be Zorro in my book. He sly, witty, and the characters fits him excellently. Zorro's personality is similar to that of Batman but has the wit and charisma of Spider-Man. And by sly and witty, I mean sly and witty. Put the word, "zorro", on Google Translate, set it to English from Spanish, and you'll never believe what you'll get! I love Catherine Zeta-Jones in this. And I mean "love" in two ways: her acting and her looks. She had a very good character that had excellent chemistry. I seem to enjoy the swashbuckler genre because of the dialogue found in most of the films. They have very witty dialogue that I would've never came up with him. They criticize each other in a sword fight and the hero comes up with a very sassy comeback. In "The Mask of Zorro" features a lot of sassy, witty dialogue from, if I'm correct, all the characters. Very well scripted. Great acting and action and fun dialogue, "The Mask of Zorro" is a swashbuckler classic IMO. Don't get me started on the sequel, folks. Thanks for reading! Leave clean comments below. "You are like your mother. Same eyes, same mouth, same spirit."