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With the influence of Executive Producer Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment, screenwriters John Eskow, Ted Elliott, and Terry Rossio, and director Martin Campbell reimagined (if you'll kindly excuse the use of a term that is rapidly becoming a cliche) the legend of Zorro. In truth, this film is an extrapolation, suggesting that - like Batman and the Phantom - Zorro outlives any one man to be reincarnated by a succession of noble heroes, each to wear The Mask of Zorro. As the film opens, Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson) is about to flee the 19^th Century Spanish territory of Southern California. His brutal governorship has provoked a noble landowner, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) to wage guerrilla warfare against his regime, disguised in dashing black garb complete with flowing cape, and assuming the name of Zorro - the fox. The peasants, supported by Mexico's Santa Ana and inspired by Zorro, have risen up against their oppressor. Before he escapes, Don Rafael lays the foundation for his future return. He signs over Spanish-owned lands to the local Dons to keep the territory out of Mexico's hands. And he makes one last attempt to capture the outlaw Zorro. He randomly selects three peasants for public execution by firing squad, knowing full well that Zorro would not be able to resist saving them.

Zorro outfoxes and outmaneuvers Montero and his troops with athleticism, bravery, and will. Zorro will be successful that afternoon - aided by the peasants and, in particular, two young hero- worshipping brothers, Alejandro (Jose Maria de Tavira) and Joaquín Murrieta (Deigo Sieres) - but the day will not end well. Don Rafael finally deduces Zorro's true identity and brings a force of men to Don Diego's hacienda. Senora de la Vega - who apparently turned away Don Rafael's attentions in favor of Don Diego - is accidentally killed. Don Diego is captured. And as a final insult, Don Rafael takes Don Diego's infant daughter to raise as his own. Don Diego will spend the next twenty years brooding in an uncivilized prison while Don Rafael enjoys two elegant decades in Spain.

Diego will train Alejandro to assume the role of Zorro. Each will be able to avenge injustices. Alejandro is taught swordplay, horsemanship, hand-to-hand combat, and the gymnastics that will come in so handy when faced with danger. But the most difficult lesson for Alejandro to learn will be the role of a gentleman. As Diego explains, "something that is completely beyond your reach - charm." Alejandro must infiltrate Don Rafael's inner circle; there, he will discover the megalomaniac's plan to buy California from Santa Ana with his own gold. Orbiting this turmoil is Diego's daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who has returned from Spain with the man she believes to be her father. Diego desperately needs to reclaim his daughter, even as Elena is drawn simultaneously to both Alejandro and, inexplicably, Zorro.

Director Martin Campbell, responsible for reinvigorating the Bond franchise with "GoldenEye," is a splendid choice for the film. He almost brings a Bond-like sensibility to the show. He establishes just the right balance among subtle humor, melodrama, and action. Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas are charming. Stuart Wilson captures the essence of a sociopathic megalomania. And this may very well be Catherine Zeta-Jones' best performance and best looking performance.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Within this Superbit Deluxe Edition there are two DVDs. Disc one offers the film's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is presented in anamorphic video. Unfortunately, as with many other Superbit DVDs, this Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment disc is still flawed with edge halos, but they are much less prominent than in the two previous releases. In my first set of , Zorro is seen against a gray sky at 7:56. Notice that the thickness of the halos has been reduced, as have their amplitudes; yet, they are still present. I was hopeful when I reviewed Anaconda Superbit and found halos very much subdued – almost invisible - that it might have been the start of a trend. Alas, it was not to be.

Halos aside, the highly detailed transfer admired in the original releases has been subtly bested here. Small object detail, like the many faces in the early mob scene as the three peasants are staked for execution, is somewhat improved (but this may be more attributable to the reduction of halos).  Have a look at the of the medallion Zorro hangs around the young Murrieta's neck as found at 9:46; notice that the improved level of detail is modest but visible. Colors remain splendid. Bright, colorful fabrics are vividly painted to the screen without any noticeable chroma noise. Brightness and contrast are first-rate; dark scenes such as the night Alejandro steals the new Tornado sport fine shadow detail. I did not notice any compression artifacts. Of the three versions, this Superbit is clearly the winner.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

You'll find two 5.1 tracks here, one in Dolby Digital and the other in DTS. Each is outstanding. Surround effects are very aggressive, and even though this disc does not contain an official EX mix, it decodes perfectly into a center surround. Particularly impressive is the opening sequence in which the viewer is drawn into the screaming crowd. With EX decoding enabled, I was more convincingly immersed. Deep, deep bass runs through the film; only the most capable subwoofer will deliver the sonic fireworks with any authority. James Horner's very fine score, blending Flamenco and unusual wind instruments with his stirring orchestrations, is presented with a revealing fidelity and great impact across a broad soundstage. The dialog remains completely clear throughout, never overwhelmed by the dynamic mix of sound effects and music. Very well done.

As for the DTS track, after careful amplitude equalization, I found the DTS track to offer the same enveloping audio experience, but with a subtle improvement in timbre and an ever so slightly more aggressive bass line. Each track is excellent, but I would have to award the DTS track the status of better of the two. A very fine audio track.

The audio is supported by English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

As with other Superbit Deluxe releases, the extras are confined to disc two. All are carryovers from previous releases. First, we find Unmasking Zorro, a forty-five minute long, fullscreen, featurette written, directed, and produced for the Special Edition by Laurent Bouzereau. This is a very effective little documentary, providing us with many insights concerning the origins of the character, the origin of this film, casting, and its production. Mr. Bouzereau has produced several outstanding DVD documentaries and he does not disappoint. Optional Spanish and Portuguese subtitles are available for the featurette.

Two deleted scenes have been included, presented in non-anamorphic widescreen letterbox. The first, entitled “The Wallet,” is an extended version of the scene in which Diego and Alejandro see the new Tornado for the first time. As soldiers gallop wild horses through a marketplace, a Don and his wife find themselves in the horses' path; Alejandro saves them. The grateful Don tips Alejandro a peso, unaware that Alejandro's skills as a thief has netted him a more generous reward. The second scene entitled “Resolution” is the film's original ending, which did not test well. Alejandro, Elena, and the rescued mineworkers emerge from the dust and smoke of the mine's destruction to be met by Santa Ana and a band of his troops. Santa Ana thanks them and he commands food and shelter for the abused workers. Alejandro and Elena embrace and kiss as the camera pulls back. I would have to agree that the reworked ending is much more satisfying.

Interestingly, a third scene - available in Region 2 on its original release, if I recall correctly - is not included. It shows Elena and Captain Love racing on horseback as they slice melons set upon poles with their swords. She intentionally allows Love to win at Don Rafael's instruction. I find it odd that the studio had the opportunity and the bit-budget to have included this scene and chose not to. Wouldn't adding supplements not previously available enhance the sales of a film that had been released twice before?  As with the featurette, optional Spanish and Portuguese subtitles are offered for these deleted scenes.

In the Advertising Materials section, you will find a Theatrical and Teaser Trailer, both in anamorphic video. Twelve TV Spots in full screen are also included; I don't recall these on previous releases. There is a nice selection of publicity shots of the three stars, omitted from the Special Edition but restored here. Costume Designs is a text feature that first describes, then illustrates the costume concepts supplemented by photographs of the finished products. A music video of “I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You” as sung by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena is next. This is the song heard over the closing credits and is included on the James Horner score CD. Unfortunately, director Martin Campbell's excellent commentary is absent here, so I guess I'll be keeping my special edition after all.

This DVD set is housed in a two-disc keepcase just like the one used for the Special Edition. And as in the previous releases, there are twenty-eight chapter stops.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No real ROM extras are included, but when the supplement disc is loaded into your drive, a little window opens inviting you to either cancel the operation or click on a button that will open your browser and automatically link to a Columbia Tristar web page.

Parting Thoughts