"I gave my life for them!"

Adventure films these days are rarely just that. There are the classics like "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones", but rarely do we get a film that simply has it all. Action, adventure, great characters, acting, romance, beautiful locations, music, and a cool plot. "The Mask of Zorro" is what a fun movie is supposed to be, a movie that just grips you into its adventure and doesn't let go.

The story is interesting. The Zorro we knew, Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), is now old. He was captured and put in prison, his wife murdered and his daughter stolen by his archenemy Don Raphael (Stuart Wilson). Twenty years later he is still rotting in prison, but when Raphael returns he is motivated to escape. At the same time, young thief Alejandro Murieta (Antonio Banderas) is wanting vengeance against the cavalry officer Captain Love who killed his brother. So Diego trains Alejandro to be the new Zorro and together they vow to have revenge against their enemies.

The story is straightforward with few big surprises, but it is one that really involves you. You get caught up in their plan and the training. The sort of parallelism between Murieta and Love and Diego and Raphael is interesting. The greater good that they must do for the people is worthy of Zorro and the villain's plot is very intelligent and complex.

The acting is a big reason the film seems so good. Anthony Hopkins is always good and is so here as well. He can also handle the action surprisingly well. His voice is hypnotic and he just has a presence. Banderas is better here than ever before. His energy is at its best. He has the playful charm for Zorro but also the intensity needed for his more volatile other persona. And he just looks too cool in the mask. Catherine Zeta-Jones made her debut here and is great as well, she holds her own as a character in a movie that could so easily have swept her away in favor of the leading men. But maybe best of all are the villains. Stuart Wilson has made a living as a character actor playing villainous roles in other movies, but here is a role that he really sinks his teeth into. He is so evil, but we can almost see why he is so mad. His frustration with Zorro and having been tormented by this man for nearly thirty years is shown perfectly. The young ruthless cavalry officer is played very well too, subtle at times and enraged at others.

The action is what makes it great though. This has maybe the best swordplay I've ever seen. It's fast and harsh and always stylish. When Zorro fights two enemies at once it is beautiful to watch. The way he flips, jumps, rolls, punches, and swings all throughout the course of a battle is amazing. Martin Campbell, the director of "Goldeneye" and this film, has quietly become one of the best action directors around, and he adds his usual amazing scenery and camera work to make the battles have bite and also be understandable to the viewer. All the usual Zorro moves are their and are captured perfectly on film.

James Horner, best known for his music to "Titanic" and "Braveheart", gives one of his most diverse scores to date, mixing Spanish sounds with the good old heroic themes. The score is brooding when it needs to be and has a sad feel to it as well.

This is just a really great movie. The acting, music, and direction make it seem like much more than just a summer action movie. It is the kind of adventure film that is rare these days, one that is a complete film that makes you leave the theatre feeling really satisfied.