When The Mask of Zorro came out seven years ago, it modernized the oft-filmed swashbuckler and placed him in a decent, kinetic action vehicle, but one that felt somewhat bland and generic, without the zest and stylistic flourishes you'd expect to surround a character who gleefully carves his initials into sets. It was a film searching for its own identity and after seven years, the mask has finally come off: Zorro is goofy.
In the last film, the most memorable scene was a duel between Zorro (Antonio Banderas) and his wife-to-be, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), that resulted in an inadvertent striptease. If that was playful, the most serious scenes in Legend of Zorro are downright silly. In an early scene, Zorro is in hot pursuit of an adversary and performs a midair somersault. There's no obstacle to flip over so the stunt is simply done for the added flair. But that's not the half of it. This is a film where horses drink and smoke, and bad guys get their asses lit on fire and jump around screaming before sitting in a bucket and heaving a sigh of relief a la Looney Tunes. That's not to say this is a bad film, but it's definitely for the kids.
Like Superman 2, Spider-Man 2 and most heroic sophomore outings, Legend of Zorro focuses on the delicate balancing act necessary for good-natured vigilantes to maintain their secret identities as well as their everyday lives. This brings Zorro's wife and son, Joaquin, into harm's way. Fortunately, the whole family seems to be imbued with the same athletic abilities. Even little Joaquin can deal a few solid punches and throw in a well-choreographed back flip in the name of showmanship. In fact, the kid takes center stage often enough for the whole film to sometimes feel like the latest entry in the Spy Kids series (also starring Banderas).
There's a fairly complex plot that gradually reveals itself, but it essentially comes down to good guys vs. bad, and you always know who the villains are—they either have hideous scars or snooty French accents.
At 130 minutes, The Legend of Zorro is about 40 minutes longer than it has a right to be, so kids with short attention spans may wind up nodding off and producing a few Zs of their own. But those who make it all the way through will find lots of campy fun.