Seniors Silas Stewart, Cooper Stewart, Ty Corley, and Nick Barrett have created a four-part movie series known as La Zesta. The first two movies were made for Spanish projects four years ago and one year ago, respectively, and the third and fourth were made for Moviemaking this year. In this piece, CoA reviews the third installment. Photo courtesy of Silas Stewart.

By Sam Fortenbaugh

La Zesta 3 is part of a Menlo student affiliated movie franchise. The first two La Zesta movies were created for a Menlo Middle School Spanish class. The third is the first to be made in English. La Zesta 3 has an extensive plot that keeps the viewers alert.

If you are not familiar with the first two La Zesta movies, then the third might be a little confusing because it recalls the plot from the first two movies. The movie features many intense gun shootouts as the protagonists chase the evil zesta dealers. The weapons mainly consist of assault rifles and even a blue smoke grenade. The actors consist of senior boys who play a variety of classic drug bust roles. Zestas, a classic saltine cracker, are portrayed as a drug in the movies that has taken over the streets.

Seniors Cooper Stewart, Ty Corley and David Schmaier, who are ZEA (Zesta Enforcement Agency) agents, try to take down Nick Barrett and the zestas to keep the streets safe. They encounter many obstacles on their chase, but I will not spoil the plot. In addition, the actors’ costumes are similar to those of any classic drug bust movie. The variety of shots and dramatic music keeps the viewers intrigued.

My one criticism is that the plot is complicated for those who have not watched the first two movies, but then what movie franchise is easy to understand if you do not watch the first two movies. The movie looks very pristine except for the gunshot effects which looked a little cheesy.

“While the plot is complicated and many outsiders may complain about it, many fans of the series are able to acknowledge that the script and storyline takes time and effort to create,” senior lead-actor Cooper Stewart said.

Editor’s Note 1: The original post of this article included a cover picture of senior Silas Stewart holding an Airsoft gun. This photo was removed on March 16 and replaced with the current cover picture. 

Editor’s Note 2: Two comments written by Menlo teachers were removed per their request on March 26. Some of the current comments were written in response to those teacher comments.