Review of The Three Musketeers (2011) by Robert P — 16 Jul 2012

This 2011 adaptation of the timeless Alexandre Dumas' novel is a polarizing European attempt to create a Hollywood type of blockbuster. The Three Musketeers has become a big, colorful and full of 3D effects Hollywood entertainment,which would provide a mediocre entertainment to those searching for an easy-going and mindless adventure. But for those searching for a stylish, smart and politically thrilling adaptation, this lousy and frivolous delivery is nothing but a huge fiasco.

It all depends on the initial approach of every single viewer. As a movie which is supposed to deliver the qualities of the Dumas' novel, this movie is a total flop. As a mindless summer entertainment with elements of fantasy, romance and A-class European cast, The Three Musketeers scores somewhere between mediocrity and the-almost-passable level. In terms of story-telling there is nothing really to excite. The plot has been degraded to a cheap adventure full of effects, which surely would satisfy the teen audience (or the one having absolutely no idea about the Musketeers), but it would certainly outrage those familiar with the European history (like me). If you are familiar with it, you would never get over the fact that Cardinal Richelieu, the architect of strong and united France, a brilliant politician and the father of the modern state system, is downgraded to a chess-playing evil trying to take over Louis XIV's throne.

If you could not pay attention to this issue and tune yourself for a wanna-be-a-Hollywood-blockbuster movie, you would surely enjoy the fast-paced story-telling, the cheesy romance between D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) and Constance (Gabriella Wilde) and the adventurous task ahead of the Musketeers.You would have moments to smile, moments to excite and in the end it will leave be perfectly forgotten after several weeks.

Apart from the disappointment coming from the lack of any seriousness, the impossibility director Paul Anderson to fully explore the capabilities of his cast, is a major blow for his movie. Having names such as Milla Jovovich, Matthew MacFadyen, Ray Stevenson,Orlando Bloom and especially cult actors such as Mads Mikkelsen and Christoph Waltz , and not being able to make a darker and more exciting movie is totally disappointing. Having Mikkelsen and Waltz as the bad guys and not making them truly bad is the biggest mistake of Anderson.

After so much trashing of this adaptation, you might think that this movie is not worth-skipping. As mentioned above, it depends on the expectations. If you would like to see something more meaningful, this movie would be a disaster. If you are in the mood for a colorful and kitschy entertainment, Paul Anderson's The Three Musketeers may actually deliver a decent portion of it.