The Three Musketeers follows our three heroes; Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Aramis (Luke Evans), and Porthos (Ray Stevenson); shortly after a failed mission that has just about ruined their reputation and their spirits. A young wanna-be Musketeer named D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) sets out to join his heroes and in the process revitilizes their spirits. Little do the foursome know that a nefarious plot is being hatched by Athos' ex-lover Milady (Milla Jovovich) and the Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) to throw France into a war with Britain, a plot that only the Three Musketeers plus D'Artagnan can thwart.
The Three Musketeers is a very fun film, but it's one I'd dare say most would probably dislike. Musketeers is one of those films that is best viewed with your brain in the off position, and it is this that most probably would dislike. Personally, I think some just don't know how to have a good time. The Three Musketeers plays like a Saturday morning cartoon; It's goofy, campy, silly and lots of fun.
What surprised me most about the film, is that despite it's mindlessness the main characters are actually pretty smart. The Three Musketeers always are ready with a plan up their sleeve, and are fast on their feet. Not only are they notoriously good fighters, they are also notoriously smart and cunning, and that's one of the things that really appeals to me about them. Sure, their characters may not be fully fleshed out (D'Artgnan is bold and brash, running head first into battle, always ready for a fight; Athos has just been betrayed by a lover and thus doen't really believe in anything anymore; Aramis is pretty religious and believes that everyone has got to believe in something; and Porthos is the sarcastic brute with a heart of gold) but the actors characterizations are strong enough and believable enough to keep most firmly interested in their going-ons and to keep audiences rooting for them. They have a strong bond of brotherhood, they kick ass, and they are pretty smart and that's why I love every one of them.
Milady is the femme fatal of the film. She slinks her way into people's lives that she can use to her own advantage. She only ever has her own best interest at heart (even though it is slightly implied that she does indeed love and care about one of the main characters) and is only ever truly on her own side. As played by Milla Jovovich, Milady oozes sexuality (especially in one scene where she does a fast striptease) and cunning, willfully turning the men in the film against each other for her own betterment and amusement. She is a real bitch, but one that I actually found myself enjoying.
Richelieu is played by Christoph Waltz, and he is another smart character in the film. He and Milday devise a plan to turn the young King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox), his queen (Juno Temple), and The Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) against each other and thusly spark a war between Britain and France. In the ensuing chaos, he hopes to usurp the throne. Christoph Waltz does a really good performance, but it's honestly nothing we haven't seen before. I'm beginning to get worried that Waltz is starting to get typecast as the villain. This man is a super talented actor and he doesn't deserve to waste his acting abilities on typical villain roles. That said, he does bring his character to believable life and definitely has fun with his role, but is still just your average villain in the end.
Freddie Fox is pretty fun as the dimwitted, fashion obsessed young king (his failed attempts to keep up with the current fashion of the times comes across as a clever social commentary). He has a youthful enthusiasm about him and he attacks his role as king like a young, excited boy would. This makes for an interesting character that is super fun to watch, and also is easy to root for. His standout scenes are one where he is supposed to punish the Musketeers for some rash behavior but instead does something completely different (His youthful enthusiasm shines through here. It is clear he idolizes the Musketeers and looks upon them like a kid would upon real, living superheroes) and one where he asks D'Artagnan's for advice on how to woo a lady and then tries to impress the queen (he stutters through the scene with the queen like a lovesick puppy , but it is obvious that the two do share a love and they do indeed make quite the cute couple).
Orlando Bloom plays the villainous Duke of Buckingham who is a sworn enemy to The Three Muskateers, and a lover to Milady. Of course, he doesn't realize he is being used to ignite a war. He is an interesting character, but doesn't really leave a lasting impression. He's not very smart, doesn't appear to be able to think for himself, and tends to react with violence and threats of vengence...in other words he's the perfect pawn for Richilieu and Milady.
Gabriella Wilde is Constance, the love interest for D'Artagnan and one of the royal ladies. Besides helping the Musketeers at a crucial moment, she isn't given much to do in the film. A shame, becuase she does seem somewhat talented, and she is definitely very pretty.
Yet another character in the film is the captain of the guard, Rochefort, played by Mads Mikkelson. Rochefort is a true villainous knave who prefers to fight with guns instead of swords and doesn't like to fight fairly. Shortly after he insults D'Artagnan and his horse, D'Artagnan challenges him to a duel and is promptly shot in his shoulder. It is after this that D'Artagnan makes it his goal to seek revenge against Rochefort ( a goal that culminates in an ok duel between both characters). Rochfort acts under the commands of Richelieu, and thus acts as a secondary villain in the film.
In case you haven't noticed, most of the cast is made up of unknowns, and I like this about the film. It's always good to have a few fresh faces in the bunch. While most haven't been in much (except for the obvious big names), they still manage to pull off their roles brilliantly (especially the Three Musketeers and D'Artagnan).
Despite my general goodwill towards this film, there were a few things that bothered me. The first thing is that there is a good chunk of the film (maybe 20 minutes or so) where we focus solely on Milady and Richelieu and the Musketeers disappear. I understand this was done to develop the plot of the film, but it does detract a bit from the film overall. The good news is I was just beginning to notice that they had gone missing right when the Musketeers returned, so right when I started craving more of them, they returned.
The 2nd thing that annoyed me about the film is that there are too many villains in it (a whopping 4 in total). The film can never quite make up its mind who the main villain is, and so instead chooses the least likely candidate to focus on during the climax and lets one of the bigger baddies get off scotch free (it even allows him to play fake hero at the end). While this did scratch at me, it kind of made sense that The Musketeers would allow this person to take credit for the heroics so that they could remain in the shadows.
The 3rd thing that annoyed me about the film is that it focuses mainly on the story of D'Artagnan. While the character is a complete bad-ass and super easy to like, and while he definitely has what it takes to be a Musketeer it still doesn't make complete sense why he would be such a huge role in the film. The main advantage of this decision is that it allows the audience to view the Musketeers through his eyes, and that makes them seem larger than life and infinitely cool, so I guess that's a plus. At least this did not diminish the roles of the Three Muskateers, they still appear in the majority of the film and are the main characters along with D'Artagnan....it's almost like the four share lead billing, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitley noticeable.
The last thing that annoyed me about the film is the last segment that is tagged onto the end of the film. It doesn't really make sense, and seems to set up a sequel. I have feeling that a sequel will not be made because most seem to really dislike this film, so the epilogue of sorts comes across as pointless. Just leave when the screen fades to black.
I imagine the main reason anyone would go to The Three Musketeers would be for the action, and this film delivers that in droves. There are numerous action scenes within the film, and all are pretty thrilling (my personal favorite would have to be the fight between The Three Muskateers and D'Artagnan against Rochefort and the royal guard). All the action scenes are competently filmed and directed, successfully being thrilling, exciting, and cool all at the same time. Perhaps one of the best parts of the film is the climax, which takes place on an airship (Don't tell me that's not awesome. There are a good three or four action scenes that take place on this neat craft, and these scenes make up the climax). I went in wanting action, and I got alot of it, so I'm sure you action junkies will be quite pleased with this film.
I saw The Three Musketeers in 3D and it plays fairly well with this added demension. Mind you, it wasn't really necessary to add a 3rd dimension to the film, but what the film does with the new tech can be impressive at times. I'd say see this one in 2D instead though, that way you can save a few bucks.
So, was The Three Musketeers what I had been hoping for? The answer is a resounding yes. I never expected the film to be of a superb quality, I knew from the trailers that it was going to be silly fun and if anyone thought otherwise then they must have misinterpreted the trailers. While it is sure to divide audiences, I tend to fall on the positive side for this one. It may not be a superb film, but it accomplishes what it set out to do: show audiences a fun, mindless time at the movies. The Three Musketeers is like a better version of the previous G. I. Joe film, playing like a saturday morning cartoon version of the classic tale. It's definitely not a film for everyone, but I loved it nontheless. In the end, The Three Musketeers is fantastic fun.
3.5/5 Stars
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