The Three Muskateers
- Year:2011
- Rating:M
- Director:Paul WS Anderson
- Cast:Milla Jovovich, Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson
- Release Date:October 20, 2011
- Distributor:Hoyts
- Running time:110 minutes
- Film Worth:$10.00
- FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Special effects and 3-D fail to add anything new to this radical, and unsuccessful shake-up of the classic story.
Another week in Hollywood, another remake. This time it's Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, a story that's been done countless times before with various levels of success. Best known for his work in the sci-fi genre, Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil) is the man at its helm, and as expected, this 3-D remake definitely gives the classic tale a shake-up. Unfortunately, the essence of the film - one for all, and all for one - seems to be diluted in its grab for the modern.
Based on a script by Alex Litvak (Predators) and veteran writer of period classics, Andrew Davies, the first half of the film actually adheres quite closely to Dumas' original narrative. We follow the spirited young D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman), who travels to Paris with dreams of becoming a musketeer. While he initially ruffles the feathers of the three most famous musketeers - Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Aramis (Luke Evans) and Porthos (Ray Stevenson) - they take him under their wing as they face off against various villains looking to undermine the King. There's the devious Duke Of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom), the King's plotting right-hand man (Christoph Waltz), and Athos' double-crossing former lover, M'lady De Winter (Anderson's real life partner, Milla Jovovich).
With every actor deliciously hamming it up, stretches of this make for a fun romp, and the lavish set pieces and stunning costume design are a visual treat. Anderson, however, never manages to pull off the "rock ‘n' roll meets period piece" tone that he's aiming for. Things that Anderson may claim are "irreverent" (CGI airships - really?) just seem silly and overblown. Considering how radical a revamp this is, it actually ends up with very little to say. And for a tale that's meant to feel timeless, audiences will be hard pressed remembering it beyond next week.
