The Legend of Zorro

Catherine Zeta Jones captivated audiences and shot to stardom via her role as Elena in the 1998 take on the Zorro legend, MASK OF ZORRO. This sequel, set in 1850, finds her married to Alejandro, aka Zorro (Antonio Banderas, also returning to reprise his character from MASK OF ZORRO), and demanding he stop all the derring-do and spend time with their smart-as-a-whip 10-year-old son, Joaquin (Adrian Alonso). The boy has some serious acrobatic skills, but is unaware of his father's secret identity. He can only look askance as his parents separate and Dad starts spending too much time with his hard-drinking horse, while Mum lets herself be wooed by the odious Count Armand (Rufus Sewell). It's up to little Zorro Joaquin to get to the bottom of things and get his folk-hero parents back into action. Jones is a stunning sight in her elaborate lace-and-linen ensembles, and there's some complex DA VINCI CODE-style secret society skullduggery, but otherwise this sequel has more in common with classic old Walt Disney comedies like THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG or Robert Rodiguez's SPY KIDS than with the 1998 movie. The swordfighting and death-defying action sequences are all totally bloodless, and director Martin Campbell, who also helmed the 1998 film, keeps the dialogue very contemporary and child-friendly throughout.