Pauls Valley, Oklahoma —
Explosions and bullets may make for classic action movie recipes, but a good battle properly choreographed is just as well won visually by the sword. I still remember fondly flicks along the lines of “Princess Bride” or even reruns of the old “Zorro” TV show where I could imagine myself fencing with the best of them, thus why I even began to consider a story so retold as this.
Of course, getting to see a steampunk type floating ship of the 17th century in the previews looked pretty sweet as well and all with quite a bit of the original story intact. Yes, the liberties taken will at times make the story rather foreign to hard core fans and the one association I kept seeing was a style somewhat similar the more recent “Sherlock Holmes” franchise. “The Three Musketeers” turns out to be something I’m glad I waited for DVD to watch, but at least attempts to be an entertaining reboot.
The story kicks off with our well known trio, Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson), and Aramis (Luke Evans) working with Milady De Winter (Milla Jovovich) in a “Oceans 11” type scheme to steal blueprints for a famous Leonardo Da Vinci war weapon for the French. Their female counterpart turns out to be a double agent for England and betrays them to the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom), thus ending the Musketeer tradition.
Cue some time later where a corrupt Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) is attempting to secretly run the show under the nose of King Louie XIII (Freddie Fox) and doing quite well until young and inspired D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) starts unintentionally unraveling everything. It is this meddling kid who is the only chance for the good to rise to defend the wronged and like a corny early sitcom, it all somehow works together no matter the character cliché. Except for the very well done sword play between the good and bad, it’s often hard to determine when if ever the actual period is being paid attention to with often more modern references attempting to appeal to all.
In any case, if you just want something to entertain the kids with in order to prevent destruction of the house for a little under two hours, this is certainly in that category. I’m not inspired to make it a repeat viewing with an almost “Saved By the Bell” high school mentality going on, but maybe a potential sequel won’t sink too much lower.
I will admit the Cardinal was perhaps the most interesting character, even if I expected him to twirl his mustache, invent mass rail transit and tie a lady in distress before an oncoming train. In any case, not to bad, but again average fun. This earns “The Three Musketeers” a final verdict of two and a half out of five baguettes.
DVD rental courtesy of Family Video of Pauls Valley.
Entertainment Reviews
Related Photos
-
Artwork for "Three Musketeers," available on DVD. Impact Pictures, Summit Entertainment.
Discussion
‘Three Musketeers’ latest in action comedy retread
- Entertainment Reviews
-
-
‘Escape from Planet Earth’ crashes on planet bland
For all of the classic adventures we’ve rooted for no less than a thousand times in all the familiar fables, I never tire of an attempt to try and flip the roles of the characters in a slightly different twist.
-
‘Anna Karenina’ artsy, but a clever ballet of commentary
Since the first days film captured the wonder and imagination of audiences across the world there has always been examples of how the format has borrowed from its roots in live theater.
-
‘The Last Stand’ worth sitting down for
Admiration for acting may always be heaped in plentiful supply on those who manage to pick the year’s best films to be a part of, but there are certain personalities who regularly carry any project whether it is a box office smash or bomb.
-
‘Epic’ almost, but not quite
As an avid film buff who often favors animation over live action, 2013 has so far been a year barely pinging the radar.
-
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ enterprises on improvements
Despite an overall dismissal and thumbing of the nose of science fiction by the major award circuits throughout the history of film (and beyond if you throw in years of geek bullying from print or radio), one element that has not been denied ultimate glory quite as often is the musical force behind them.
-
‘Silver Linings Playbook’ finds structure in mental script
Only in Hollywood magic land can the stressful and never hilarious situation of dealing with violently mentally ill family members be turned into one of the most beloved comedy creations ever.
-
‘Iron Man 3’ proves nothing is sacred with fresh twists
In a time when God-like status is granted to those who can obtain the franchise tag for a film series, the true test of creative power is not falling flat when that third or later chapter is born.
-
‘42’ offers decent tribute to sports legend
Finding the right words, let alone an entire film script worthy enough to honor some of history’s most poignant chapters is not a task I envy for any writer.
-
‘Oblivion’ starts off vague, but delivers constant thrills
There may never be a day where science fiction is fully given the attention and praise it deserves from the highest and mightiest of award shows, but for moviegoers it continues to deliver some of the most celebrated moments in cinematic history.
-
‘Olympus has Fallen’ a perfect fix for action addiction
Gone may be the era when moviegoers could freely revel in an overtly cheesy patriotic action fest without being accused of having a political agenda.
- More Entertainment Reviews Headlines
-
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
NYC 911 Call Lasts for 8 Hours
Obama: US Has Helped Syrian Rebels
Afghan Forces Take Afghanistan Security Lead
Raw: 100K Protesters Flood Brazilian Streets
California Cops Cruise on Stand-up Paddle Patrol
Transgender Candidate Running in NYC
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA
Feds: 7-Eleven Stores Exploited Immigrants
Fla. Teen Catches Ride With Whale Shark
Iran's Rowhani Urges 'Path of Moderation'
Investigators Probe Origin of Colo. Wildfire
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth
