THE MASK OF ZORRO

This is a handsome, rousing adventure with a tight plot, strong performances, and plenty of swashbuckling excitement. The film places the struggle between good and evil in a human conflict over Mexico and California, while presenting Zorro as a flawed but noble hero who fights for common people.

The movie is not spotless. It includes extensive swordplay, action violence, grotesque imagery, a few mild obscenities, sexual innuendo, and some nudity. Yet Zorro is not a vicious, murderous hero: he mostly disables, disarms, and embarrasses his foes. His family loyalty, chastity, respect for faith and morals, and concern for the greater good give the adventure a solid moral center.

If your teenagers can handle the content, this is a worthwhile choice for a family with older children; younger viewers should sit this one out.

Don Diego de la Vega once fought Spanish oppression as the legendary masked hero Zorro. After tragedy separates him from his family and throws him into prison, the years pass while Mexico and California suffer under oppression.

Two decades later, the older Zorro escapes and finds Alejandro Murrieta, a young man carrying his own grief and desire for vengeance. De la Vega trains Alejandro in swordplay, acrobatics, diplomacy, and the nobility required to become a champion for the greater good.

Three stars means this is a very good, accomplished adventure with some notable weaknesses. The location photography, music, costuming, and casting give the period tale considerable authenticity. Anthony Hopkins handles the action material well, while Antonio Banderas brings charm, physical prowess, and Latin machismo to the younger Zorro.

The plot is among the most complete and dramatically satisfying of the summer action movies. The nearly constant sword-fighting keeps the film lively, though some dialogue sinks into silly one-liners and clichés. Adults may appreciate the nostalgia of cinematic swordplay, while some action fans may lose interest in the old-style heroes and antagonists.

The film presents a light Christian worldview through a Catholic community, prayers, church attendance, and moral themes of righting wrongs and doing good. Its hero is a common man fighting for common people, not a flawless figure. The movie values family loyalty, chastity, courage, justice, and service to the greater good.

The story does include a morally questionable idea when Alejandro tells Elena that she should not deny what she truly feels, encouraging her to compromise. De la Vega corrects him, telling him to rise above personal interests and become a champion for the greater good. The film’s romantic elements remain restrained, and the older Zorro is portrayed as a loving family man.

Zorro’s central calling is to oppose oppression and defend ordinary people. That moral vision aligns with Scripture’s call to pursue justice and goodness: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

With tight plotting, handsome production, strong performances, and exciting swordplay, The Mask of Zorro offers old-fashioned heroism with a moral center. Its violence, grotesque imagery, innuendo, and nudity call for discernment, but older viewers can find a worthwhile adventure here. WORTH THE TRIP — TEENS AND ADULTS.