Most of the entertaining moments occur early in the film, when a love triangle between the main characters unfolds. Zorro's insatiable need to be a hero has him sneaking out of the family home with a mask and cape.

This grates on the nerves of Elena, who asks him for a divorce. She later turns up as the love interest of Armand, who happens to be her childhood sweetheart.

A rivalry between Elena's jealous husband and haughty lover provides some of the film's best comedic and romantic moments.

But the movie fails to sustain the fun and ends up degenerating into a circus of clumsy swordfights and not-so-spectacular explosions.

Director Martin Campbell, who also directed The Mask of Zorro, appears to be running out of ideas. It didn't help that the screenplay by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman is a cliche-laden story that lacks creativity and excitement.

The dialogue is so wooden that it sounds much like monotonous public transport announcements.

Banderas looks a bit too old and out of shape to be a sword-fighting superhero, while Zeta-Jones is gorgeous and sexy as ever. But her supermum-cum-courtesan role gives her little chance to flesh out her skills, apart from that of passionate kissing.

The movie's best acting is performed by Zorro's black horse - a beautiful animal who performs comedic and action stunts with great flair.

VERDICT: WAIT FOR THE DVD