The Legend of Zorro (**1/2)

The Legend of Zorro is your typical sequel. It's bigger, louder, more frenetic, and less clever than the first. But is that so unexpected? As far as sequels go, this one's fine. It makes for a good Saturday afternoon matinee show when it's rainy outside and you've nothing better to do. Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones reprise their roles from the first, and this time they've got a kid along for the ride. The kid is not as annoying as you might think from the trailers, but he' s definitely unnecessary. I don't think Zeta-Jones has looked this good since the first Zorro. Maybe it's the fancy dresses and the bad Spanish accent that make her more beautiful on screen. I don't know. She's great to look at here though. Don't even bother with a plot because there really isn't one. But there is some decent swordplay, and a light-hearted sense of fun on display. The movie is overly long at 2 hours and 10 minutes, and you may get a little tired of it all by the end, plus it has one of the most bombastic and overcooked musical scores in recent memory, and by James Horner, no less. If you enjoyed the first, I would rent this on DVD, but if you didn't see the first or didn't like it, you're not missing anything with this one.