The Mask Of Zorro / The Legend Of Zorro [1998]

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