The Three Musketeers is a movie that has been done again and again. It’s a classic story that Hollywood feels has to be told from time to time. Some of the films have been good, some not so much. There’s a new version coming out on Oct. 21st that I feel falls into the first column.
I had the opportunity to view The Three Musketeers and I must say that with some exceptions, I was pleased with it. I went into this with some misgivings but they were mostly unfounded. The trailer is what made me want to see it, but as is the case with most trailers, I was praying that the trailer didn‘t show all the best action, leaving nothing for the viewer. This was not the case, as the movie still had plenty of action left.
The story is not much different from any other version done previously, except for the addition of fancy renaissance gadgets courtesy of Leonardo DaVinci. The movie opens with our heroes the Musketeers breaking into DaVinci‘s vault to steal the plans for a heavily armed airship. Once the plans are stolen, the Three Musketeers are betrayed by the Countess de Winter played by Milla Jovovich. Milady, as she is also known, is a deadly double agent working for both the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) and Cardinal Richelieu (Oscar winner Christoph Waltz).
Enter D’Artagnan, played by Logan Lerman. He’s come to town to become a Musketeer like his father before him. He runs afoul of Rochefort, Captain of Richelieu’s guard (Mads Mikkelsen), and the Musketeers, played by Matthew Macfadyen as Athos, Luke Evans as Aramis, and Ray Stevenson as Porthos. But D’Artagnan and the Musketeers soon join forces when they uncover a plot to overthrow France’s king and put Europe on the brink of war.
There is action aplenty in this movie. The only complaint I have is that at times the acting is a little stiff and some of the humorous moments seem forced, but overall I enjoyed the movie. Most period pieces seem to be trying to be Oscar contenders. This one is not trying to be anything but entertaining. I think it succeeds in that.
