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Legend of Zorro, The
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MPAA Rating: PG
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Entertainment: +3
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Content: +1 1/2
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Like the 1998 prequel, this action adventure, with romance and comedy tossed in, is a fun film that draws laughter, clapping and cheers from its audience. Its 1850, and land purchaser Don Alejandro de la Vega (Antonio Banderas) continues to bear the burden of keeping his alter ego, Zorro, a secret from his 10-year-old son (Adrian Alonso) and all of California. With the toll of the church bell, the people of San Francisco call Zorro to their aid. But de la Vegas wife and swashbuckling cohort, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), fears their enemies will discover their identity and bring harm to their family. A threat to Californias statehood has arisen, forcing Zorro to wear the mask a little longer and inadvertently bring Elena into the adventure, and the two discover that their nemesis, Armand (Rufus Sewell), has greater aspirations than his flourishing winery. Together they must put a halt to his plan while protecting their son who has discovered that he is more like his father than anyone knew.
The Legend of Zorro is a charming and amusing good-versus-evil classic. The triumphs of its hero leave the audience satisfied while the antics of Zorros trusty steed keep the film funny. Zorro is loaded with sword fighting, gun slinging and some pyrotechnics. There are several religious elements in the film, but some viewers might find them troubling. Old Testament Scripture is used when one of Armands henchmen claims to do the work of the Lord as he goes before him and clears the land of its inhabitants. He even names his guns Salvation and Damnation. Positive religious references include Zorros return to the church to pray for courage and the friars friendship and alliance to the de la Vegas. Another positive element is Zorros love for and dedication to his family as he lives by the motto my family is my life. Families will enjoy this feel-good movie but should be cautious of the many incidents of moderate violence that could pack a punch for young viewers.
Preview Reviewer: Kellie Parmar
Distributor: Columbia
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Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.
Crude Language: Few (3) times mild (hell 2); strong (SOB 1)
Obscene Language: None
Profanity: Few (1) times moderate (MG 1)
Violence: Many times moderate (many scenes involving sword fighting; battles involving hand-to-hand combat with slapping, punching and kicking; several instances of gunfire with loss of life; 3 occasions of men being blown up by nitroglycerine but no graphic details are shown; numerous scenes of peril and distress involving men, women and children)
Sex: Few times mild (passionate and aggressive kissing between husband and wife and an unmarried couple)
Nudity: Few times mild (implied nudity as man gets out of bed in front of a maid and of several men in a hot tub playing poker)
Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Few times moderate (child gives obscene hand gesture to a bartender)
Drugs: Few times mild (man becomes intoxicated after discovering his wife has filed for divorce, man again is inebriated, horse appears to be drunk)
Other: Themes of good winning over evil; love and devotion to family; church clergy portrayed as loyal, fun-loving and dependable
Running Time: 130 minutes
Intended Audience: Teens and Adults
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