The Legend of Zorro
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
The Legend of Zorro melds the best of the older Zorro serial television series and the equally revered Wild, Wild West, with a splash of religiosity for good measure. You have TWO vile villains, with one serving as the henchman and the other as the ‘big picture’ guy. Neither one can be a match for the star power exhibited by Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Zorro aka Alejandro and his lovely wife Elena. You don’t go to see the sequel to the Mask of Zorro expecting that tragedy can really behalf our heroes in this one, and I don’t think it’s a reach to say that the ‘divorce’ doesn’t cause much drama.
Much has been written about the slowing down of both Banderas and Zeta-Jones, that is to say, there have been claims made of less action, than in the ‘original’ movie. Having attended the movie with my youth, they left feeling like they got plenty of bang for their buck, and I would tend to agree. Still, the ‘divorce’ left a bitter taste to our discussion of the movie and for that, I question what ideals the movie was presenting.
The divorce occurs for the purposes of the plot, driving Elena into the arms of her previous acquaintance/interest(?), the slimy Armand (Sewell.) The argument that we overhear between Alejandro and Elena before the breakup is purposefully frustrating, because the argument is over Alejandro’s participation in fighting evil as Zorro. Supposedly, in the first movie, Elena loved Alejandro as Zorro before she loved him as Alejandro. So, fifteen minutes into the movie, I am distracted by a quarrel that I wouldn’t buy in real life (between two people who are genuinely committed to each other.) Yes, it’s a movie, and yes, it’s a plot point, but it’s flimsy at best.
Here we are, watching Elena throw herself at Armand, and we’re watching Alejandro get smashing drunk—and he does a great job of making a fool of himself. For a family, kid-driven movie, there’s a lot of drama here that doesn’t need to be. But let me emphasize some positives now that I have that off my chest…Adrian Alonso plays Joaquin to the hilt, the son of the de la Vegas, who appears to be just as comfortable playing a Little Rascal as he would a Spy Kid. He represents the crucial relationship between fathers and sons, one that must be carefully nurtured and not left to empty assumptions. With the unmasking of Zorro comes a baring of their relationship and a restoration that I think may lead to a three-way billing in whatever they call the sequel.
The religiosity mentioned above is Catholicism versus extremist Protestantism, with some fatalism on both sides thrown in for good measure. Alejandro ‘prays’ that he be given the strength to don the mask one more time (to save his family), in the face of Nick Chinlund’s cross-scarred villain. This villain’s evil delivery of the “Lord’s wrath� makes me cringe in its similarities to blind hatred spewed out by some claiming to be fundamental Christians. Brennan Manning’s comment that the greatest cause of atheism is Christians who walk out of church and deny Christ by their lifestyles seems well summed up by Chinlund’s character.
Thankfully we have a gentle mix between Chinlund’s villain and Alejandro in a priest friend who serves as a counselor to Alejandro and knows his secret. (I am sorry to say I could not directly match the actor’s name and the character name for this review!) This character urges Alejandro to take care of himself, respect himself, serve justice, walk humbly, and to care for children! Seems reasonably gospel-like to me, even if the movie comes across as a whole to be gospel…lite.
The hero, the heroine, and the hero-kid are all proven to be altruistic and team-friendly, in a world where men are often shown as flying to the aid of everyone else. So rather than a hero movie, we are provided with a heroes movie, and they seem to be Christian and a more than average way. So, grab the kids, or your buddy, or your girlfriend, and head to the Legend of Zorro, it’s a summer blockbuster that probably won't be legendary, but the overall message speaks to family and restoration.
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
The Legend of Zorro melds the best of the older Zorro serial television series and the equally revered Wild, Wild West, with a splash of religiosity for good measure. You have TWO vile villains, with one serving as the henchman and the other as the ‘big picture’ guy. Neither one can be a match for the star power exhibited by Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Zorro aka Alejandro and his lovely wife Elena. You don’t go to see the sequel to the Mask of Zorro expecting that tragedy can really behalf our heroes in this one, and I don’t think it’s a reach to say that the ‘divorce’ doesn’t cause much drama.Much has been written about the slowing down of both Banderas and Zeta-Jones, that is to say, there have been claims made of less action, than in the ‘original’ movie. Having attended the movie with my youth, they left feeling like they got plenty of bang for their buck, and I would tend to agree. Still, the ‘divorce’ left a bitter taste to our discussion of the movie and for that, I question what ideals the movie was presenting.
The divorce occurs for the purposes of the plot, driving Elena into the arms of her previous acquaintance/interest(?), the slimy Armand (Sewell.) The argument that we overhear between Alejandro and Elena before the breakup is purposefully frustrating, because the argument is over Alejandro’s participation in fighting evil as Zorro. Supposedly, in the first movie, Elena loved Alejandro as Zorro before she loved him as Alejandro. So, fifteen minutes into the movie, I am distracted by a quarrel that I wouldn’t buy in real life (between two people who are genuinely committed to each other.) Yes, it’s a movie, and yes, it’s a plot point, but it’s flimsy at best.
Here we are, watching Elena throw herself at Armand, and we’re watching Alejandro get smashing drunk—and he does a great job of making a fool of himself. For a family, kid-driven movie, there’s a lot of drama here that doesn’t need to be. But let me emphasize some positives now that I have that off my chest…Adrian Alonso plays Joaquin to the hilt, the son of the de la Vegas, who appears to be just as comfortable playing a Little Rascal as he would a Spy Kid. He represents the crucial relationship between fathers and sons, one that must be carefully nurtured and not left to empty assumptions. With the unmasking of Zorro comes a baring of their relationship and a restoration that I think may lead to a three-way billing in whatever they call the sequel.The religiosity mentioned above is Catholicism versus extremist Protestantism, with some fatalism on both sides thrown in for good measure. Alejandro ‘prays’ that he be given the strength to don the mask one more time (to save his family), in the face of Nick Chinlund’s cross-scarred villain. This villain’s evil delivery of the “Lord’s wrath� makes me cringe in its similarities to blind hatred spewed out by some claiming to be fundamental Christians. Brennan Manning’s comment that the greatest cause of atheism is Christians who walk out of church and deny Christ by their lifestyles seems well summed up by Chinlund’s character.
Thankfully we have a gentle mix between Chinlund’s villain and Alejandro in a priest friend who serves as a counselor to Alejandro and knows his secret. (I am sorry to say I could not directly match the actor’s name and the character name for this review!) This character urges Alejandro to take care of himself, respect himself, serve justice, walk humbly, and to care for children! Seems reasonably gospel-like to me, even if the movie comes across as a whole to be gospel…lite.
The hero, the heroine, and the hero-kid are all proven to be altruistic and team-friendly, in a world where men are often shown as flying to the aid of everyone else. So rather than a hero movie, we are provided with a heroes movie, and they seem to be Christian and a more than average way. So, grab the kids, or your buddy, or your girlfriend, and head to the Legend of Zorro, it’s a summer blockbuster that probably won't be legendary, but the overall message speaks to family and restoration.
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
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