The Mask of Zorro: Critic Reviews

Banderas, with his flashing eyes, makes a good mock-Hidalgo, but the movie would be a lot more amusing if it weren't such kid stuff.

The Mask of Zorro has something you don't often see in modern action pictures: a sense of honor.

The Mask of Zorro stands as a pointed riposte to those who say they don't make 'em like that anymore.

One of the most glorious and rousing adventure movies Hollywood has ever produced.

Offers just what one might reasonably expect from a Zorro movie: a great deal of excitement and adventure, all brought to the screen by using a somewhat irreverent tone that keeps the mood light without trivializing the characters.

Banderas and Hopkins prove that there's life in the Z-boy yet, but by leaving in the dull patches, the filmmakers may find audiences catching zzzzzs in ways they never intended.

A lively, old-fashioned adventure yarn with just a twist of modern attitude, it's the kind of pleasant entertainment that allows the paying customers to have as much fun as the people on screen.

Crisp and competent and often witty, but it only does what it's supposed to do; it's never quite inspired or exhilarating...

Directed with snap and panache by Martin Campbell, Mask of Zorro gives audiences a pair of dashing whippersnappers for the price of one.

Not so much a blood-pounding swashbuckling adventure as it is a comfortable old friend--the kind of movie your grandfather might have seen at a Saturday matinee.

Buckling the swash in a way approaching Errol Flynn, Antonio is up for the action and handles the slapstick as the inept student with aplomb. The romance between him and Zeta-Jones has sparks, too.

Zorro follows the predictable paths of action movies, but re-energizes the pattern with adrenaline, exuberance, creativity, and humor.

A surprisingly good example of Hollywood's craftsmanship.

At its best, this 'Zorro' captures some of the dizzyingly romantic flavor of pulp fiction. ...Unfortunately, Martin Campbell has directed this Mexican melodrama in an often uninspired fashion.

If Hopkins makes the story important, Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones make it sexy.

It's as if Jackie Chan were channeling the spirit of Errol Flynn.

With a perfectly cast Antonio Banderas slashing those Zs, The Mask of Zorro offers as many zesty sword fights as an Errol Flynn film festival.

The story is not important. The clash of swords, the leaps, the tumbles -- it's all very nice. But after 136 minutes, it becomes a bit much.

The casting is great. Hopkins, Banderas and Zeta-Jones all look the part and breathe life and passion into their roles.

We get clever physical gags, a perky chemistry between the dour Hopkins and the bumbling Banderas, and a spirited Catherine Zeta Jones tossed in...

This zestful revival of the swashbuckler film will carve a mark in your consciousness.

There are no clever ground-breaking effects, just lashings of good clean fun with desperately devilish baddies, and good guys so fantastic, so clever and witty, that they make you want to weep with pleasure.

...honors the swashbuckling tradition of its predecessors while adding a healthy dose of humor.

Oh it's fun. An old-fashioned, good-hearted action film with a sense of humor.

Hopkins brings gravity and dignity to every role he assumes, which is exactly what is needed here to offset the rambunctious impatience of Banderas' Alejandro.