Despite being French literary characters, Alexandre Dumas’ interpretation of the historic Musketeers has become an indelible part of American pop culture, with the swordsmen Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan repeatedly interpreted in film, animation, and candy bar commercial. With “The Three Musketeers” gracing the silver screen in some form since the early 20th century, there was certainly a great deal of pressure for filmmakers to successfully bring the characters to life for a modern audience. Personally, I grew up with Disney’s 1993 film that saw Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, and Charlie Sheen as the expert swordsmen, so I wasn’t truly convinced that any retelling would live up to expectations. Still, early trailers made it clear that The Three Musketeers would be anything but a traditional interpretation, with director Paul W.S. Anderson undoubtedly prepared to add his trademark action flair. In the end, as a fan of the characters, Milla Jovovich, and Orlando Bloom, not to mention someone who actually owns a French rapier sword, I couldn’t wait to see the Musketeers brought to life again…this time in 3D.
Walking out of The Three Musketeers, it is clear that Paul W.S. Anderson wasn’t concerned with any precedent set by previous films or any notion of historical accuracy, with the narrative taking significant liberties, but the end result is still pretty entertaining. The story itself is filled with ridiculous plot points and ludicrous dialogue, but thankfully, the action sequences and swordplay choreography are more than enough to placate action junkies. In terms of the characters themselves, the film inexplicably fails to imbue its titular heroes with any form of depth, background, or distinguishable personality, instead favoring the extravagant villains. Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, and Christoph Waltz clearly have fun with their roles, overacting at times and echoing Saturday morning cartoon maniacs, but these characters are undoubtedly the kind that everyone loves to hate. Clearly unlike any historical action film you’ve ever experienced, The Three Musketeers offers simple entertainment that resembles a videogame, so it is worth seeing as long as you don’t go in expecting deep and emotional acting or a fully coherent story.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
