An unexpected smash hit, The Mask of Zorro was one of the most entertaining blockbusters of recent years, with Martin Campbell's assured direction and highly enjoyable performances from Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones (taking a rare break from spending all day eating leek and counting her money).  Given how Hollywood usually works, it's a miracle that it took seven years for a sequel, but finally it has arrived.  Reviews were mostly harsh, with half of the critics seemingly thinking it was too similar to the original, and the other half thinking it wasn't similar enough.  But this is probably one of those films which critics will never particularly understand, because it's a blockbuster with a nonsensical plot which is actually terrifically well made and completely enjoyable.

For The Mask of Zorro, James Horner wrote one of his most entertaining scores of the last decade or more, finally abandoning the very heavy approach he had favoured for a long while and returning (to an extent) to the more dynamic style which made him so popular in the first place.  Of course, the four-note danger motif was there and, of course, he stole his main theme from Miklós Rózsa, but that seemed entirely forgivable because the end result was so flat-out entertaining.  The sequel allowed Horner to return to the material and essentially write another two hours of music torn from exactly the same cloth, based on exactly the same themes, with exactly the same sense of fun and adventure - and, unsurprisingly, it's just as entertaining as the original.  (It has the added bonus of not featuring a song with trite lyrics by Will Jennings.)

Indeed, the opening cue starts in exactly the same fashion as the original score, with the guitars and foot-clapping and all, and this sets the tone for the great score to follow.  As I said, all the familiar themes are here, but Horner doesn't particularly recycle music verbatim from the previous score, after the first few bars.  It's more of an extension to the original score rather than a repetition of it.  There are one or two new themes (check out "Classroom Justice"), but nothing to rival the strength of Zorro's Theme and the Love Theme, both of which are reprised from the original.  The score's strength - now, as then - lies in its action music, which is gleefully lighthearted but wonderfully orchestrated and played, with a really fun spirit running through it.  "The Cortez Ranch" is a sensational piece, with remarkably bright and clear brass writing surrounded by percussion and shakuhachi (don't panic, they work just fine) highlighting Horner's considerable gifts.

Needless to say, the old-fashioned romance is here in spades as well, with the delightful "A Proposal with Pearls" being a highlight.  The best of all, though, is the fantastic "The Train", an eleven-minute tour de force from Horner featuring some of the most strident and impressive action music of his career.  Bold, brassy, beautifully-structured, and exciting as can be, it's a really wonderful piece of music showing Horner at his absolute finest.  The score as a whole is a rare treat, probably even more impressive than the first one, and a must-have for any fan of the composer.  It's infectious, constantly enjoyable music and I don't really see how there's anything here that people could not like.