The Mask of Zorro/YMMV

• Anvilicious: Arguably, both films seem to carry a recurring trend that, when Zorro loses focus and starts thinking of his own gain or gratification, things go very wrong for him. (Significantly observable in the second film where everything turns around for Zorro after he prays for the strength to do what's right.)
• Non Sequitur Scene: The private scene between "Don Alejandro" and Captain Love. IIRC, The only thing Captain Love talks about in that scene is about Indians using some king of voodoo with dead enemeies to take their power (and that's never referenced in the movie again) and then Captain Love does something to remind the audience that he killed Joaquin, which is unnecessary because Alejandro already knows that Captain Love killed Joaquin. You can cut out this scene, and it wouldn't hurt the next scene between Alejandro and Don-Diego at all.
  • It certainly serves as character development for Captain Love - He's clearly staged the scene to intimidate Alejandro. Either he's brash enough to bully a social superior he views a silly dandy competing with him for Elena, or he suspects Alejandro's true identity and is trying to taunt him into giving himself away. Either way the audience now understands that Captain Love is smarter, more reckless and more sadistic than previously shown.
• Complete Monster: In the first movie, Captain Love. Keeps the dismembered bodyparts of Alejandro's brother pickled in alcohol, which he drinks "based on an Incan custom". And when he learns Zorro has the means to expose Don Rafael's plan (buying California with stolen gold), he calmly suggests destroying the mine to hide evidence of the theft...with the slaves who did the mining still inside, "to destroy all the evidence".
  • Averted with the Big Bad villains Don Rafael and Armand, who have reservations when it comes to children witnessing atrocities or being victims. Rafael also clearly loves his daughter. At one point he takes her hostage to save himself, but admits afterwards that he never would have done it.
• First Installment Wins: The Mask Of Zorro is a great film (Roger Ebert went so far to say it was one of the best Zorro films ever made), The Legend Of Zorro... not so much.
• Magnificent Bastard: Both Don Rafael and Don Diego. In the sequel, Armand.
• Laughably Evil: EVERYTHING about Captain Love. From his ridiculously overcompensating BFG pistol at the beginning, to his pimp saddle blanket(leopard skin?), to his hairstyle, and finally to his battlecry when he jumps on the elevator
• Role Association: After Don Diego shaves his mustache and goatee to play the part of Bernardo, you wonder if he'll kill Don Rafael and eat his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
  • You wouldn't be alone if you'd half-expected Alejandro to bust out a guitar case full of guns.
• Sequelitis: The general consensus seems to be that The Legend Of Zorro was not so legendary.