The slapdash swashbuckler that torpedoed a franchise still frustrates

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When it comes to naming the best blockbusters of the 1990s, Martin Campbells is The Mask of Zoro is often overlooked. This is not entirely unexpected when the decade has given us everything speed and Con Air to Face/Off and The Matrixbut the old fashioned swashbuckler is a pure adrenaline rush that more than holds up as a rushing adventure of the highest quality.

Of course, there was a lot of excitement when it was announced that the director would be returning for a sequel, alongside stars Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, but the end product dashed the entire prospect of a long-running franchise. The Legend of Zoro The fact that it came seven years after its predecessor didn’t help, but it would have if it hadn’t been a huge disappointment.

The opening chapter scored 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but the sequel only scored 27 percent. Similar, mask‘s user rating of 73 percent blows Legend‘s 48 percent out of the water, and it also grossed over $100 million less at the box office. That killed any chance of a threequel, and we didn’t even get that crossover with Quentin Tarantino Django Unchained that would have been so crazy that greatness was practically guaranteed.

To that end, Redditors have been doling out one for the massive missed opportunity The Legend of Zorowhich learned absolutely nothing from the style, wit, charm and exuberance of its predecessor, to instead deliver a romp by the numbers that was nothing but a pale imitation of its phenomenal ancestor.