Friday Night Movie Club
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I dont know how exactly it happened, but sometime in the 1990s, Hollywood rediscovered the swashbuckler.
Or maybe it was a natural result of the search for reinvention-friendly throwbacks that theStar WarsandIndiana Jonesmovies had prompted.
Stephen HereksThree Musketeerscame in 1993.
Michael Caton-JonessRob Roycame in 1995.
And, frankly, nobody thought it was going to be a hit.
Im not sure even the filmmakers did.
We certainly didnt think it was going to begood.
I was sure Zorros sword was going to explode at some point.
And then the damn thing opened, and it ruled.
In most depictions of Bruce Waynes parents death, the family has just emerged from watching a Zorro movie.
It makes sense as an immediately accessible and relatable way into an otherwise absurd superhero story.
ForZorro, he had been a relatively late replacement for Robert Rodriguez.
(By the way, I would still love to see a Robert Rodriguez take on Zorro.)
Upon arrival, Campbell had the story and the script revamped.
InZorro, don Diego watches his wife get murdered.
Not long after, Alejandro (Banderas) sees his own brother get beheaded.
These arent uncommon tropes in action movies, but Campbell reinvests them with real passion and rage.
Campbell understands that what were watching has to be thrilling, fun, elegant, and clear.
His direction is efficient, but it doesnt skimp on the humor or the grace notes.
I went intoThe Mask of Zorroback in 1998 dreading what Hollywood would do to it.
Now it feels like the kind of thing that we kept Hollywood around for.
(Maybe Ill feel that way in 20 years about [insert big contemporary hit here].)
Its fellow sorta-swashbuckler,Last of the Mohicans, is also one such picture.
As is, come to think of it,Rob Roy.
These are the kinds of movies that make you wonder why other movies cant be as good.
It was also recently released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Digital.
