The Three Musketeers (2011) 3D

Giving Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel a steampunky twist, complete with flying ships and Indiana Jones-esqe booby traps, this new version of The Three Musketeers is a fast-paced ride, though some of the cast do get lost in the background along the way.

Paul WS Anderson tends to get a bad ride as a film maker, often deservedly so. Many of his films tend to suck badly, not to Uwe Boll levels of awfulness, but they do tend to be mindless and devoid of even the simplest forms of character-development. I have noticed a pattern when it comes to the quality of Anderson’s work. When he directs other people’s scripts, the standard of the film improves. As so here, with The Three Musketeers, which chugs along nicely, weaving a nice and simple, yet rewarding, story, that has the right level of romance, comedy, action and pantomime villany to keep the twelve year-old boy in me thoroughly entertained for the entire duration.

You know, I never understood their moto of "All for one and one for all". After all, there are three of them and at times a fourth.

Of the cast, Lerman, Macfadyen, Stevenson, as the three Musketeers, and Orlando Bloom, as The Duke of Buckingham, come off the best, with Bloom in particular appearing to be having the time of his life as the dastardly Englishman. I normally can’t stand him, but he was actually great to watch as he camped it up in this film. Freddie Fox, as King Louis, also deserves a mention. His stampy childish young king is a delight, and he easily steals each scene he is in. Mila Jovovich is simply doing the same action part she has been doing for a while, sliding and flipping around like a woman possessed, performing feats that shouldn’t be humanly possible in a whale bone corset.

Logan Lerman, as d’Artagnan, doesn’t seem to have the necessary charisma or acting skill to create much of a presence beyond the athletic contributions he makes to the film’s action sequences. Next to the likes of Macfayden’s tortured Athos and Ray Stevenson’s funny yet tough Porthos, this film’s d’Artagnan simply doesn’t make a huge impression. He just feels like an annoying tag along character, rather like Shane West’s Tom Sawyer in The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

But it is James Cordon that claims the award for most irritating character. His Planchet manages to drag down every scene he is in, as his ridiculous mannerisms and facial expressions do nothing other than make what should have been a second-tier character become an unwanted irritation. He actually manages to top Ricky Gervais’ nonsensical and annoying inclusion in the otherwise great Stardust.

Completely ridiculous, showing no regard for historical accuracy or the laws of physics, this new version of The Three Musketeers is non the less exciting and thrilling, and will really appeal to steampunk fans. Just disengage your brain before you go in, and enjoy it for the popcorn flick it is.

3D OPINION

Given that Anderson has previous experience with 3D, I thought that this film would have used the gimmick far better than it does. It is fairly pointless, and isn’t even used well during the predominately CG air ship battle. Avoid it, and save yourself some money and the eye strain.

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