This or Mask of Zorro (1998)
Which was the better "hero goes to prison for a long period of time before escaping so he can avenge those who wronged him" film?
shareI like the story behind Count, but I do think that Zorro is just more fun.
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MovieChat Forums > The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) Discussion > This or Mask of Zorro (1998)
This one, easy. (The opening scene in "Mask" was eye-rolling unrealistic. It's still a fun flick though).
shareWhile I thoroughly enjoyed both, I think I would give a slight nod to Zorro. I felt that Monte Cristo was a little bit anti-climatic while Zorro was a thrill ride. Plus casting the drop dead gorgeous Catherine Zeta Jones helped.
shareI too think that Zorro is a better film than Monte Cristo (2002), now The Count of Monte Cristo by far has the best source material (one of the best books I've ever read) and it has the better story but Zorro has better acting, better action, better pacing and better music. What I find interesting is both films seem to borrow from each other
Mask of Zorro borrowed from the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by:
- The villain has feelings for the hero's girlfriend/wife
- The hero goes to prison only to escape and seek revenge against those who wronged him
- After the hero (Diego/Dantes) escapes from prison they turn themselves into civilized gentlemen and infiltrate high society
- Diego escapes the exact same way that Edmond Dantes planned to escape (taking the place of a dead prisoner)
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) borrowed from The Mask of Zorro (1998) by:
- Before the hero is sent to prison he engages in a sword fight with the villain but loses (the fight between Dantes and Fernand was not in the novel)
- In the finale the hero loses his sword but grabs the villains sword and stabs him through the chest, the villain doesn't die immediately
- The villain raises the heroes child (Albert was not Dante's son in the novel)
- There is a scene where an older mentor figure (Diego/Faria) teaches a younger protege (Dantes/Murietta) how to sword fight
I agree. I don't think there is any doubt that Count of Monte Cristo is an outstanding book and MOZ did borrow some elements from the novel as you have shown. Overall, I think that MOZ just had better direction and was a more fine tuned film for a blockbuster type of flick.
Maybe it's because I knew how Count was going to end from the start that I felt like the payoff at the climax just kind of fell a little flat. In comparison, I didn't know the story being told in Zorro other than I knew Zorro would win in the end. Mostly I think it just comes down to better direction and as others have pointed out, MOZ is a great blend of story and action creating a really fun movie. It's too bad this wasn't carried over to the sequel.
Huh. I haven't seen Zorro for a long time. I need to see the film again to decide. Thank you for the nudge.
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Mask of Zorro. Monte Cristo is a fun adventure but Martin Campbell make this beautiful epic out of the Zorro lore.
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