Three Musketeers [Blu-ray] [2011] [US Import]

When I first went to see this movie I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not. I had expectations yes, but they weren't the highest. Boy was I wrong. This movie was great fun to watch.

I did not go see it in 3d because personally 3d doesn't do much for me but the 2d experience was great. What I really enjoyed about this movie was that it had a little bit of everything, funny characters, semi-engaging storyline, romance, action, and good looking men ;)

To me the storyline was just right for the film, there was a lot going on with the characters interactions with each other and they did a good job of playing back to things that happen early in the film and adding twists, confusion, and even a few surprises. The characters all have their quirks from D'Artagnan's cocky statements to King Louis' insecurity's and childlike attitude. The film has an overall funny feel to it with a good deal of jokes and silly encounters which I really enjoyed. There's nothing like going to an action movie and getting some laughs out of it as well.

The romance aspect was small but effective as it helped move the storyline along in different ways. Different characters had to deal with different aspects of romance and each issue helped push the plot and characters in ways that were both expected and unexpected. As for the action all I can say is wow. I love watching a good sword fight happen and this movie was full of excellent swordplay. Along with swords, bombs, explosives, and guns were all used adding to the action.

This movie is not a tradition rendering of the Three Musketeers and has a steam punk feel to it making it a Three Musketeers for the modern age. Overall it was fun to watch and enjoy. I enjoyed it enough that I went to see it twice in theaters and already have plans to purchase the DVD release. Overall I give it a five star review because I loved it that much. :)

If you're looking for your next movie to showcase for great 3D, The Three Musketeers delivers the same great 3D you've seen in Resident Evil Afterlife 3D, as Paul W.S. Anderson returns as director and has not lost his 3D touch (currently filming Resident Evil: Retribution 3D, which looks equally great from the 3D trailer as of Jan 2012). How good is the 3D here? Anderson learned his 3D from the Fusion 3D used on Avatar. Any more questions? Exceptional 3D in depth and the occasional pop outs.

Moving on to the movie itself, I went in with the expectations that the film would deliver interesting, like-able characters, a decent storyline and plenty of great action. They sort of got the last part right, but the rest is debatable IMO.

Characters: The lead hero is portrayed as an arrogant jerk, and the Three Musketeers are directionless, without a goal when the film gets underway. So who do I root for? Milla Jovovich of course. Too bad she didn't have a bigger role. Orlando Bloom appears, but does little more than talk for the few moments he appears.

Storyline: The story needs a strong goal right from the start. Without it, the film feels directionless and pointless. Just some clueless characters wandering about waiting for something to do, is how I perceived it. And I wanted to enjoy the film, but by the end, I didn't care how great the 3D was, I couldn't wait to leave the theater. But that's just one opinion. Another viewing might change the bad taste.

Action: Good action when it appears. The sword fights are good, but fencing is limited in the amount of jabs and strikes you can do. More creativity is welcome here. The other action scenes, ranging from Milla squeezing through some obstacle courses, to an in air battle of floating ships, are pretty well done and woke me up in the theater, but if you don't care about the characters, it's still hollow action.

Visuals: Great scenery and elaborate costumes if you like the style, top notch lighting and cinematography. Solid special effects.

If you like Pirate movies, then you may very well enjoy this. The setting is France, with all of the etiquette, pomp and circumstance, frilly wardrobes and prissy attitudes to go with it, notably displayed by the intentionally annoying King.
Decent at best.

Film: 5/10
Story: 4/10
Characters: 6/10
Action: 8/10
Visuals: 8/10
3D: 9/10 EXCELLENT.
Overall: 6/10 (not an average, saved by the 3D and action). If you need another 3D action movie for your 3DTV, the 3D will not disappoint. The movie on the other hand...

Six feet under and rotted in the soil, Alexandre Dumas is rolling over furiously. Heck, even the makers of the much reviled THE MUSKETEER are turning over in their graves (never mind that they're probably not even dead yet). THE MUSKETEER was deplored for its shabby updating and lame use of anachronisms and its swapping of classic swordplay for a more Eastern fighting approach. This latest incarnation of Dumas' classic literature comes along and lifts that same ill-advised blueprint but adds a more pronounced Michael Bey sensibility. 2011's THE THREE MUSKETEERS is louder and bigger-budgeted and peppered with even more anachronistic touches, such as that scene in which Aramis meets D'Artagnan for the first time and he issues him a traffic citation. It's a jarring departure, if you're a stickler for faithful adaptations. Me, it depends. I enjoyed Johnny Weismuller's Tarzan films even though his interpretation of Tarzan was a far cry from E.R. Burroughs' vision. But I can't make up my mind whether to rate THE THREE MUSKETEERS 2.5 out of 5 stars, or 3.5. I had fun watching this, but there were things that seriously bugged me.

The world ushers in the dawn of the 17th Century, a tumultuous time. After the assassination of his father, young King Louis XIII ascends the throne. But his inexperience and feckless nature allow his chief advisor, the manipulative Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz), to expand his power base on the sly.

You may spot traces of Dumas' original narrative, but it's been garishly gussied up and liberties have been taken. Young and brash D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) of Gascony rides to Paris to make his fortune, harboring dreams of becoming a Musketeer. But no sooner does he set foot in Paris than he offends in quick succession three disapproving citizens and makes an appointment with each to settle accounts by way of duel. These three, of course, are Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, the three most notorious in the ranks of the Musketeers. When the sneery Cardinal's guards interfere, D'Artagnan and the three Musketeers quickly join forces and by so doing spark lifelong friendships.

But D'Artagnan is still far from realizing his goal. The Musketeers, under Richelieu's calculated ministrations, have fallen on hard times, are rendered obsolete, are reduced to swilling cheap wine and quarreling with the Cardinal's guards. Seeking a righteous cause around which to rally, D'Artagnan and his new friends unearth a dangerous conspiracy spearheaded by Richelieu and the treacherous Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich). This bit of plot territory is familiar enough: the Musketeers must retrieve compromising jewelry and so defend the Queen's honor and prevent a war. Only, in the book, I don't remember a storming of the Tower of London or huge, battling airships or flamethrowers. Or Milady de Winter taking such a physically active role and indulging in bullet time sequences. In that sense, the role perfectly suits Milla Jovovich.

So, listen, if you can find it in you to put aside director Paul W.S. Anderson's bastardization of the source material... and I know that's a hard if... then you just may have fun with this latest iteration. We get a hint that this would be a departure when the film opens up with the Three Musketeers conducting a black ops in Venice. Anderson (elsewhere known as Mr. Jovovich) has a knack for staging stunning visual panoramas, even if sometimes plot and narrative are suspect. I like this version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS on several fronts. Most notably and as mentioned, the astonishing visual aesthetics. The film does justice to costumes and sets and location. It captures the grace and opulence of French architecture, never mind that the film was shot in Bavaria. Other than the distracting spoken anachronisms, it's a fun and irreverent take. The film executes a series of dynamic action sequences, with Aramis being played up as the man of the cloth who fights with ninja-like precision. Thankfully, there actually are nice bits of swordplay and enough rousing swashbuckling to recollect THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. The tone of the characters mimics the original, only extremely exaggerated. As ever, the burnt-out Athos (an excellent Matthew Macfadyen) proves to be the most complex and interesting Musketeer. Unlike other adaptations, this film does focus more on Athos and Milady de Winter's history. Milady de Winter belongs in the Femme Fatale Hall of Fame, and, as Athos learns, you roll the dice when you have truck with a temptress whose attributes include a "gift for corruption and a penchant for betrayal." There are slow bits to this movie, and eye-rolling bits. And, more often than not, the stabs at humor miss the mark. The anachronistic elements could've been downplayed or just done away with. And I wasn't entirely sold on Jovovich as Milady or Orlando Bloom as the Duke of Buckingham. But it's worth a watch for the visual spectacle and the slick action. But you may wince when you hear a demoted-to-street patrol Aramis handing D'Artagnan a citation and accusing him: "Your horse took a dump on the street." You can apply that as a metaphor, if you like.

The DVD's bonus stuff:

- Audio Commentary with director/producer Paul W.S. Anderson and producers Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer
- Cast & Crew - a series of interviews and profiles on nine of the characters in the film (totaling 00:21:01 minutes)
- Costumes (00:05:16)
- Production Design (00:03:04)
- A New Dimension of Musketeers" - about the 3D rendering (00:05:18)
- "Uncovering France in Germany" - on shooting in Bavaria (00:02:17)
- "Fencing 101" - fencing boot camp (00:04:01)
- "17th Century Air Travel" - focus on the airship sets (00:02:23)
- "Cooper's Yard Showdown" - behind-the-scenes look at the skirmish between the Musketeers and the Cardinal's guards (00:02:08)
- "Milady: More Than A Lady" - Milla's big action sequence on the roof (00:01:19)
- "On Top of Notre Dame" - D'Artagnan and Rochefort's duel (00:02:15)
- 12 Deleted & Extended Scenes (totaling 00:14:13 minutes)