The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan

Fans of Dumas' might not agree, but "The Three Musketeers" is at best "just" period-conditioned consumable reading, excessively naive and heavily romanticized. Directors attempting to adapt the book were aware of its limitations and the resulting risks for today's audience, often opting for exaggeration and comedic stylization. Martin Bourboulon takes a different approach, opting for a "serious" adventure-romantic treatment lined with a star-studded cast and solid production design. It's arguably the "dirtiest" and most raw treatment of the material I've encountered so far. Despite all efforts, it falls short. It encounters similar pitfalls as directors of recent Bond films, trying to imbue their hero with deeper psychology and adding more artistic elements, yet still ending up with an overblown action movie featuring an invincible hero who dispatches scores of opponents without batting an eye. Here, in the confrontation scene with the cardinal's guards, the quartet of heroes handles six times the numerical superiority without a scratch (and moreover, in a disadvantageous situation of surprise and encirclement!). The action fight scenes are mostly shot in a confusing manner, but the positives clearly outweigh the negatives. Eva Green as Milady and Vincent Cassel as Athos are reliable highlights. Overall impression: 80%. (10/06/2024)

Ever since I first read the book, I found myself pondering why those skilled swordsmen were dubbed musketeers, but it never piqued my curiosity enough to delve into it. I now understand the stark contrast between a musketeer and a Royal Musketeer, which evolved significantly over time, with the Royal Musketeers eventually forming the cavalry guard in the 18th century. This revelation cleared up a slew of misconceptions for me, and had the creators opted for flintlock muskets over matchlock, I might have given them five stars out of sheer enthusiasm. Alas, they missed the mark by a whole century. While I'm unsure if Alexandre Dumas had Huguenot roots, it's undeniable that Cardinal Richelieu's portrayal as a villain contrasts sharply with his historical collaboration with Louis XIII, which proved pivotal for France (and earned gratitude from a multitude of Huguenots in the captured La Rochelle). It's a rare instance where I find myself defending a Catholic cardinal... Setting aside the fact that the source material is pure fiction and poor Queen Anne is portrayed as some sort of party girl, the creators did justice to the tale as best they could. Having witnessed numerous adaptations of this story, I must confess that today's experience resonated most with me. D'Artagnan emerged as an ambitious young man not only striving for a position as a Royal Musketeer but with clear ambitions for an Algiers invasion. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and eagerly await a sequel. / Lesson learned: Belly flopping from the White Cliffs of Dover might not be the brightest idea. 4*+ (14/11/2023)

This is my third encounter with the immortal classic after The Man in the Iron Mask from the 1990 and the somewhat overdone Paul W.S. Anderson adaptation, but I have never read the book, so I can't blame filmmakers for their faithfulness to the source material or lack thereof. After watching this film, however, and considering that the story of The Three Musketeers is split into two films, you can sense that they took care in this regard. As this is a notorious story, the film offers no big plot surprises, but it does offer solid adventure full of action, intrigue and well done fights – the "bloody" wedding or the chase on the cliffs really had some serious moments. I'm curious to see what the sequel will bring, which will give more space to Eva Green, who is perfect in these demonic creatures. (14/04/2023)

This successful adaptation of Dumas's classic slightly updates the famous story and relies on great action scenes, beautiful sets and a charismatic cast. It completely omits humour and plays on a serious note, and it mostly works very well. Unfortunately, Martin Bourboulon doesn't quite manage to sell the more intimate scenes and dialogue, and towards the end it feels like he's bitten off too big a bite; the finale, however impressive, is a bit too much. But despite these problems, this is a highly above-average adventure flick straddling the line between old-school and modern filmmaking. (11/04/2023)

A fan of historical big movies should not hesitate to go to the cinema. A French adaptation of the famous classic by Alexandre Dumas has arrived and I would say it is also the best to date. The huge budget is evident, the beautiful locations and settings are a delight and the best French stars are available: Vincent Cassel, Eva Green and Francois Civil. There are slight changes to the original story, so it's not an exact copy, but they are minor deviations that I welcome warmly. The new adaptation is without a doubt grittier, more action-packed, dirtier and darker. I was most impressed by the action shot in one take, which fits perfectly and is intense enough. I can't recall better filmed sword fights from other films. The finale in particular can lean on the attractive cathedral setting and the decent chaos that erupts there is delicious. All the actors do a good job and even the non-action passages where political intrigue builds up are entertaining. Certainly the film is also suitably suspenseful and atmospheric and visually impressive. I look forward to the second part. 7.5/10. (11/04/2023)