For a movie that had everything going for it, nothing seems to be going right in the finalized version.
Based on the classic tale of honor, friendship, loyalty, courage and duty, “The Three Musketeers” has always been a statement about fighting for the right.
This new version is lacking in the basic character development, which the audience needs to understand the characters and their relationships with each other. Without that the audience just doesn’t know who stands for what.
Also the film relies heavily on Jules Vern looking special effects and a lot of green screen imagery, giving the film a cartoon vibe. It’s kind of like mixing “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" with a Ninja movie.
Acting wise, the film isn’t too bad as Orlando Bloom takes on the role of The Duke of Buckingham, a scoundrel with an eye for more and more power.
Also worth mentioning is Milla Jovovich’s role as “Milady De Winter,” a black-hearted femme fatal.
Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans and Matthew Macfadyen are “The Three Musketeers” and do a grand job mostly. Their performances slow to a crawl when the silliness of the script takes them from dueling to special ops.
The Three Musketeers didn’t need to be a big special effects extravaganza.
It needed to be what it always has been, a heroic and well told swashbuckling adventure.
It gets a D and is rated PG-13
