Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10687 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-06
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch, English, Hindi
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 262 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
An inevitable, if hardly essential, double pack, this bringing together of both The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro is a fine example of where a franchise can go wrong.

In this case, before it went wrong though, it all went very, very right. The joyful original film is a fabulous, old-fashioned romp, that sees Antonio Banderas becoming the classic superhero. He gets recruited by Anthony Hopkins’ Don Diego de la Vega, and takes on the evil Don Raphael. There’s romance to, in the pleasant shape of Catherine Zeta Jones, who happily gives as good as she gets. And the end result is a great movie, that’s stood the test of time well thus far. It’s one that’ll easily stand up to repeated viewings, too.

So what went wrong with the sequel? Reuniting Banderas and Zeta Jones, and set enough time after the first film for the two of them to have become parents, Legend of Zorro simply doesn’t work. Sure, it has its moments, but compared to the original, they’re few and far between. Instead, the action is more laboured, the film gets bogged down in irrelevancies, and most damning of all, the fun factor that so defined the first outing has been severely diluted.

Which makes for an odd double pack. It’s good value for Zorro devotees of course, but for the vast majority who warmed to Banderas’ take on the classic hero, a wiser investment would be to pick up a copy of The Mask Of Zorro by itself, and simply leave it at that.--Simon Brew

Synopsis
Two features. In 'The Mask Of Zorro' Don Diego de la Vega (Hopkins) recruits Alejandro Murieta (Banderas) to become his replacement as Zorro, the legendary hero. Together, they infiltrate the circle of Don Raphael - the fiercest of the Spanish tyrants. Armed with his mask, sword, whip and jet-black stallion, Tornado, the new Zorro embarks on a mission to stop Don Raphael's plot to buy California, set right twenty years of wrongs, bring justice to the people ensnared by Spanish greed, and win the heart of Elma - Don Diego's daughter. Also includes 'The Legend Of Zorro'.