It's some years after the  previous Zorro movie, and our hero Z, aka Don Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) has mellowed and married himself a wife, Elena (Catherine Zeta Jones). She's not happy with his gadding off in a mask at the drop of a hat, and they have that kind of passionate-bickering relationship often found in movie marriages, she all flashing eyes and heaving breast, he a bit dorky and dumb, for all his bravery.  There's also a charming little son Joaquin (Adrian Alonso) who doesn't know the truth about his father's identity and longs for his often absent papa to be a hero like Zorro.  Considering he has a few close encounters with him in hero mode, it's a wonder he doesn't think the face is familiar, but, hey, who's talking about realism here? 
 
All round baddy in the slimy charmer mode Armand is Rufus Sewell, a European and therefore obviously no good, an old acquaintance of Elena, and, not surprisingly, comely wench that she is, lusting after her like mad. But he also has another agenda: he belongs to some odd grouping of landowners called the Knights of Aragon. One almost begins to fear a Da Vinci Code rearing its ugly head, but no, hanging on to feudal power and thwarting the union of California with the States is his game, and what's more, he'll import tons of soap, yes, soap, to do it.
 
There's a bit too much plot and heart-searching about parenthood, and the film, at over 2 hours, could have done with a little less conversation, but when we get down to the action, it's the usual daft but enjoyable stuff with folk hitting each other with everything that comes to hand, runaway trains, explosions, jail breaks, half-dead bodies carried out of burning hovels, a cute kid outwitting the dumb baddies, a feisty, well-bosomed woman doing her share of fighting, and large consignments of soap - yes, that again - being unloaded on mysterious, misty coastlines. 
 
The pleasure of this film is in its old-fashioned simplicity - the effects aren't that clever, but they're fast & furious, the action may be repetitive, but it doesn't hang about, the plot may be opaque, but it's fanciful enough for a laugh. The little boy is great, and his participation in the action will make this all the more fun for kids. Even Zorro's horse is impressive ( actually 11 different ones - some 'jumping' horses, some  for 'beauty' shots, and some who are just good at keeping still while their riders do dialogue). It's all a pleasant change from superheroes and sci fi unreality, and overall it cracks on at a fine pace, and and brings back a whiff of the good old Saturday Matinee experience.  ¡Ay Caramba!

Seen at Cinema Days, Cineworld, Milton Keynes, October 2005