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The timeless storyline of The Three Musketeers reemerges once again, but this
time with a new look and a new feel. Is this new look a good thing for this classic story?
Or was it a bit too much?
The basic outline is the same as previous
installments – it’s a modern retelling of Alexander Dumas’ swashbuckling classic. Follow
Athos, Porthos and Aramis as they take in a young ambitious gentleman (D’Artagnan) whom aspires to be the next
Musketeer. Together they embark on a dangerous mission to save King and country.
The cast is quite impressive: Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil films), Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean
films), and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) top the casting list. Each bringing something
special and unique to the film. In fact, I’m not even a Orlando Bloom fan, and when I heard he was
in this movie – I was turned off instantly. But… he does such a remarkable job as a villain
that I welcomed his addition, and I even wish he had more scenes. The Three Musketeers themselves are comprised
of: Matthew Macfadyen (Pride & Prejudice), Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone) and Luke Evans (Clash
of the Titans). I loved each actor portraying a Musketeer, I just wish they had more screen time.
Most of the story revolves around the young kid (Logan Lerman), which was fine, but it would have been nice
to see more of the Musketeers themselves.
The action itself was visually fun.
The opening sequence in which they are trying to collect the secret blueprints to Leonardo Da Vinci’s airship
was quite possibly the best scene in the movie. It sets up each character individually and gives us a nice
visual of the world in which they inhabit.
There’s
just one thing… the action just didn’t seem to intermingle well with the Three Musketeer world and story.
The action was highly impressive and fun to watch, but it seemed out of place and a little awkward. I
can understand trying to re-imagine the world and the story… but to have flying ships battle it out thousands of feet
in the air – that’s a little ridiculous if you ask me. Do you remember when Will Smith’s
‘Wild Wild West’ was released in the late 90’s? Remember the robotic spider and how bad
the movie was? To me, this is another ‘Wild Wild West’. To include unnatural
elements (flying ships, Matrix style fighting, etc.) in a film that is supposed to take place in the 17th
century – is just absurd. Sure, most of it looked nice, but create your own franchise – don’t
ruin an already established franchise by trying to modernize it for the younger generation.
The Bottom Line: The acting was great, even the overrated
Orlando Bloom. Most of the action was fun and exciting – but it just felt out of place in the Three
Musketeer world. It needed a little more of the Musketeers themselves and a little less D’Artagnan.
You may want to pass on this movie.
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