The Three Musketeers - (October 21, 2011): PG-13
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #4 with $8,674,452
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $15,233,108
Gross Revenue: $79,633,108
Production Budget: $90 million
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Normally, when you hear news about Paul W.S. Anderson directing a movie, it is simply referring to the next installment of the Resident Evil series, which regularly showcases his famous spouse and the go-to female action star, Milla Jovovich. This time around, the couple would be tackling historic characters that have been interpreted over and over again, and there was no guarantee that a talent for videogame adaptations would make the newest action-adventure, The Three Musketeers, a success. There were certainly several causes for concern, the first being that one of the main selling points for the film was that it would be offered in the now-wearisome 3D format, while the second involved the fact that none of title heroes would be played by well-known actors. Thankfully, the villains facing off against the Musketeers would be very familiar to moviegoers, because, the other famous faces alongside Milla Jovovich and Orlando Bloom have made a name for themselves playing villains; the inclusion of Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) and Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) would surely be a selling point, so I was understandably confused that Summit Entertainment didn’t do more to leverage their presence. Regardless of the glaring disparities in this far-from-traditional showcase of historical literary and cinematic characters, I was still excited for The Three Musketeers.
Offering slight echoes of the core Musketeers story and past interpretations, The Three Musketeers begins in Venice, with Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson), and Aramis (Luke Evans) working with Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) to steal airship blueprints made by Leonardo da Vinci. The Three Musketeers are then betrayed by Milady, who gives the blueprints to Athos’ rival, the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom). Fast forward a year to Paris, and the now-disbanded Musketeers are approached by young swordsman D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman), who is intent on joining them but is soon sidetracked by a feud with Captain Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen), the leader of Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz)’s person guard. Now facing a common enemy, the four heroes stumble upon a plot by Richelieu and Milady to undermine the French throne by staging an affair between Buckingham and Queen Anne (Juno Temple), thereby humiliating King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox) and opening the way for Richelieu to take control of the country. With the help of one of Queen Anne’s ladies-in-waiting, Constance (Gabriella Wilde), and their loyal assistant, Planchet (James Corden), the Musketeers and D’Artagnan work to stop the treacherous plot and defend France, facing countless enemies in the form of Richelieu’s guards, French bounty hunters, and Buckingham’s fleet of airships.
As is to be fully expected within a Paul W.S. Anderson film, easily the best part of The Three Musketeers is the action sequences, whether that involves one-on-one sword duels or epic airship battles. When you hear the word “Musketeer,” the first thought in your head should be swordplay, and the filmmakers took full advantage of that association, choreographing lightning-fast action sequences that are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, especially when the four heroes face dawn forty of the Cardinal’s guards. Granted, the presence of floating airships equipped with rail-guns, flamethrowers, and explosives is a bit of a stretch for conventional logic and historical accuracy, but if you just lighten-up and appreciate the imagination of their inclusion, you will be treated to pure, exciting action. The characters that compliment these exciting sequences best surprisingly turn out to be the film’s villains, who, though ridiculous, still are just evil enough to remain threatening, the most obvious being Milla Jovovich as the venomous Milady de Winter. Exciting action, ludicrous characters, and a surprisingly high level of humor makes The Three Musketeers fun, but don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty wrong with this film.
I may have mentioned that I enjoyed the villains of The Three Musketeers, but it is nothing short of a cinematic crime that the focus on the antagonists came at the cost of the title heroes, as neither Athos, Porthos, nor Aramis are given any kind of character depth or historical background. These three characters have very well-established personalities that have held for over a century, so to an extent it is unforgivable that in this interpretation they barely show any glimmer of individuality…I’ve seen background characters more memorable than these three. Speaking strictly to the story, narrative flow, and pacing of the film, The Three Musketeers is fairly weak, stretching logic and believability a little too far…Buckingham’s airship dropping an anchor in front of the French royal palace without anyone freaking out is groan-inducing. I’ve also hinted at overacting, which virtually every character is guilty of, but the strongest culprit is Freddie Fox, who plays King Louis so neurotic that you almost wish a Musketeer would stab him minutes into his first appearance. As expected, the 3D technology offers virtually nothing, but that shortcoming is fairly small compared to the other criticism-worthy elements…in the end, it is a question of whether you believe the positives present can outweigh the glaring negatives.
From a box office perspective, given the length and prevalence of the ad campaign surrounding The Three Musketeers, the film’s performance has been significantly underwhelming, coming in fourth place in its first weekend with just over $8.5 million. Milla Jovovich certainly didn’t make any friends over at Summit Entertainment when she called the studio out for not positioning the film as a family adventure, but if anything that would have simply been false advertising. With no truly bankable actors in the title roles and the other recognizable actors all but hidden during the trailers, lack of audience interest isn’t that surprising when the last true Musketeer film was almost twenty years ago. Thankfully, international receipts for the film have been very strong, which is understandable given the core material’s European roots, but it is still surprising that over 80% of the revenue has been from overseas…All for one, and one for all. In the end, if you are familiar with the classic story and characters, you will enjoy The Three Musketeers, but don’t expect anything special or truly memorable.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
