Release: Zorro

 

Zorro

Genre: Action/Western

Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Writer: Johnny Mercer

Based on the characters created by Johnston McCulley

Cast: Diego Luna, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Michael C. Hall, Melissa Barrera, Richard Cabral, Carlos Bardem, Tanaya Beatty, Damian Alcazar

Budget: $82,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $83,104,606

Foreign Box Office: $132,893,111

Total Profit: $40,032,008

Reaction: While not a major blockbuster in terms of numbers, the box office was strong for a film of its scale and a welcome return to the big screen for Zorro for the first time in 20 years.

“Rookie writer Johnny Mercer has delivered a great iteration of Zorro. This film blends political intrigue with a lyrical atmosphere. While I was originally uncertain with Diego Luna’s casting he brings a welcome, weary gravitas to his performance. Michael C. Hall’s calculating Griggs and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s disciplined Ramon give the story sharp, contrasting villains, even as some stretches feel overstuffed and slowed by Diego’s reluctance. A bold, if uneven, resurrection of the masked rider. I look forward to more from Mercer.” - Freddie Poulter, TheWrap.com

"Alfonso Cuaron's Zorro deliberately strips the legend of its flamboyance, reimagining Zorro as a weary, almost reluctant symbol rather than a crowd-pleasing swashbuckler, and while that choice often frustrates, it’s not without merit. Diego Luna remains an unconventional fit, giving a restrained performance as an older Zorro, but the physicality was a bit lacking. This Zorro is a thoughtful take that trades excitement for resonance, with mixed but intriguing results." - Paul Ontkean, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

"This Zorro seems almost embarrassed by the very legend it’s adapting, replacing swashbuckling energy with ponderous pacing and a suffocatingly moody atmosphere that never pays off. Action scenes are infrequent and brief, often cutting away just as momentum might build, while the slow, melancholic music actively works against tension, flattening what should be thrilling moments into muted gestures. Diego Luna in the title role is never able to sell the charisma or action the role demands." - Michael Van Patten, Slant Magazine

Rated PG-13 for action violence and thematic elements