film review: the three musketeers – bang or fizzle?

Athos: “There were four of us against forty of them.”
The Queen: “Was it forty? Or four hundred?”
Athos: “Just forty… it was an off day.”

Based on the book by Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers is an action/comedy directed by Paul W.S Anderson. The story follows the young, hot-headed D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) who travels to Paris to become a Musketeer. In the process, he is dragged along with the down-on-their-luck Musketeers (played by Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans and Ray Stevenson) into a fight against a beautiful double agent (Mila Jovovich), her villainous employer, and the Cardinal Richelieu and his guards, from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war.

With a snappy script that isn’t afraid to be silly, this film is thoroughly enjoyable. Fans of Alexandre Dumas’ classic story may be a little disappointed as the story differs from the original plot. But even though it does not follow the original story, it is still enjoyable thanks to its series of corny lines and ridiculous fight scenes for which the instrumental soundtrack is just as lively and entertaining.

We imagine that the fight scenes will focus on amazing swordsmen with incredible fighting skills, who often seem to be outnumbered but always win the fight in the end – and that is exactly what W.S Anderson has given us – an entertaining and lively film with a mixture of something for everyone.

With said, The Three Musketeers appeals only to a certain demographic of people who can see through the ridiculousness of it all and still enjoy the film for what it is. Entertainment. W.S. Anderson created The Three Musketeers to entertain, not as a form of artwork.

There are many other notable actors in this film, such as the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) and the Cardinal (played by the increasingly popular Christopher Waltz). While the plot is a little slapdash, all and all The Three Musketeers is a jolly romp filled with comedy, action and romance with a healthy dose of skulduggery.