Some slicing would make ‘Mask of Zorro’ sharper

“The Mask of Zorro.” Directed by Martin Campbell. Written by John Eskow, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Running time: 136 minutes. PG-13 (for violence and brief nudity).

After a spectacular opening that captures the romance and euphoria of the Zorro series, “The Mask of Zorro” unsheathes its sword, swings it mightily through the air, and lunges forward with a blade that is — unfortunately — more glimmer than razor’s edge.

Directed by Martin Campbell (“Goldeneye”), “The Mask of Zorro” is a good film that could have been much better had it only sharpened its blade and then turned it on itself: The film needs cutting.

Too many scenes lack the wit and panache that Douglas Fairbanks Sr. brought to the series in the 1920s. Those films worked because, in their silence, Fairbanks found a flamboyant sense of style that roused the audience. His swordfights were cunning, imaginative, over the top. In “Mask,” there is little we haven’t seen before; indeed, the action sequences seem canned, stilted, curiously lacking in cojones.

All of this makes one appreciate even more the films of Jackie Chan, a man who is virtually following in the footsteps of Bruce Lee, yet who consistently and unfailingly infuses fresh blood into a genre that could easily have become stale. Chan knows he is playing to a jaded audience. He knows if he is going to make a career out of leveling dropkicks, those dropkicks had better be delivered in ways that ignite a crowd.

Somehow, this crucial element has escaped director Campbell, whose Zorros (there are two in this film) crack whips and swing swords not so much to titillate the audience as they do to get to the next scene.

The film’s story is problematic, borrowing as much from the series as it does from — of all films — “Star Wars.” In “Mask,” Elder Zorro (Anthony Hopkins) teaches younger Zorro (Antonio Banderas) the tricks of the sword in an effort to prevent the evil Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson) from taking over the world — which, in this case, happens to be California in the first half of the 19th century.

Complications abound, including Banderas’ romance with Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a beautiful young woman who believes she is Don Rafael’s daughter, but who really is the daughter of the elder Zorro.

Sound fresh? It isn’t, which is particularly surprising as it comes from the minds of three writers.

Still, “The Mask of Zorro” is not without merit. It does have its moments and will appeal mostly to older children, who have not seen every horse and sword trick in the book. However, for those fans of Zorro and his slashing Zs, this film lags, cutting a final, uninspired grade of C.

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“Sphere.” Directed by Barry Levinson. Based on the novel by Michael Crichton, written for the screen by Stephan Hauser and Paul Attanasio. Running time: 132 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for mild language and violence).

Toward the end of Barry Levinson’s film adaptation of Michael Crichton’s “Sphere,” three of the film’s principal actors — Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson and Sharon Stone — gather in a circle, hold hands, and agree to forget all that has taken place in the past two hours.

They actually do this. No one in their respective entourages stopped them. They close their eyes and vow to forget it all.

At this moment, this critic looked upon them with envy.

“Sphere” is the clumsy, slow-moving and unsatisfying story of an extraterrestrial spacecraft found deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. Covered with 300 years’ worth of coral, the ship still emits a hum — suggesting that it is intact and that life might still exist on board. When a scientific team of four — Hoffman, Jackson, Stone and Liev Schreiber — is called in by the government to investigate, the film wastes no time in getting them to the bottom of the ocean and aboard that ship, where filmgoers expect great suspense and action to be lurking in every corner.

It’s not.

Indeed, in spite of the huge, intoxicating golden sphere the team finds undulating on board the spacecraft, the horrific potential in that sphere is never fully realized. So lost in — or so enamored by — the film’s mindless psychobabble, Levinson forgets this film was supposed to be a thriller, which it never becomes.

However, what it does become is a rip-off of Stanislaw Lem’s science fiction classic “Solaris,” James Cameron’s “The Abyss,” and Stanlye Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

This from the director of “Diner,” “Wag the Dog” and “Bugsy”? Say it isn’t so, Barry.

Grade: D

Christopher Smith, a writer and critic who lives in Brewer, reviews films each Monday in the NEWS.