Starring: Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Rating: 2.5/5
The Three Musketeers is a story than has been done to death but Paul W.S. Anderson has adapted this classic once again to put a new take on an old favourite.
The hot-headed young D'Artagnan (Lerman) joins forces with three rogue Musketeers (MacFadyen, Evans and Stevenson) in this reboot of Alexandre Dumas' story.
They must stop the evil Richlieu (Waltz) and face off with Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) and the treacherous Milady (Jovovich).
Ok as popcorn adventure movies for youngsters go this should go down well with it's target audience as there are some great action scenes with some good traditional sword play.
The central relationship between the Macfadyen, Evans, Stevenson and Lerman is a real plus point for the movie as the young D’Artagnan shows the Musketeers that they have still got things to believe in and fight for.
The trio of Macfadyen, Evans and Stevenson do banter well together and their is a very genuine friendship and bond between them.
The script moves along at a quick pace but it just lacks that wit and humour that we have seen in the past, in particular in the Richard Lester movies - and that does give the movie the feel that it is aimed specifically at kids rather than a wider audience which is a real shame.
A 2011 remake of this story means special effects and CGI and, on the whole, these do work well; the fight between the two airships being a particular highlight.
I have to admit to being a fan of the addition of the airships as I do think that they bring a new element to the franchise - and they work really well.
Sadly this movie is not without it's faults as Milla Jovovich is totally mis-cast as M'Lady - some of the clangy dialogue that she is given doesn't really help - but she just doesn't seem to fit.
The role of Richelieu could have been one of great menace for Christoph Waltz, who is so fab at this kind of role, but, at times, it feels like the character is forgotten and is perhaps not developed as the villain that he could be.
That leaves Waltz underused and never stretched in any way, shape or form - which is a pity because Waltz is an actor that could have brought that little bit of something to add more venom to this character.
Another actor who is desperately underused in the movie is Juno Temple as Queen Anne - she has a couple of fiery moments of standing up to Richelieu before sadly fading into the background.
But one of the most irritating things about this movie is the character of King Louis has been depicted as if he is a total buffoon - now I know he is supposed to be young and inexperienced but this was a surprising path that they took the character down; and it really didn't work.
The Three Musketeers is a movie that is never boring and it is a lot of fun but this is a story that has so much potential that you do feel like it has missed the mark slightly.
The Three Musketeers is out on DVD & Blu-Ray now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw