The Musketeer
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Movie Reviews of The Musketeer
Movie Review: Remember the Ritz Brothers's version?
Summary: 3 Stars
Please, get off your serious Leonard Maltin high jackasses and enjoy yourselves. This film bears no resemblance to any of Dumas' works, nor any of the earlier film versions (at least 7), which were tailored either to the leading man/lady or the director's whimsy. I really enjoyed all the crazy swordplay, being a Jackie Chan fan. The homage to Shanghai Noon, with flying ladders and wild-eyed, one eyed villain, was great fun.
Richard Lester's classic retelling starred English and American actors, none of whom had French accents, and it was not harmed by the Cockney-speaking peasants either. Les Mis doesn't have the first glimmer of a French accent, and it was written in French! Lighten up!
When such divers actors as Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, The Ritz Brothers and Chris O'Donnell get away with making films titled The Three Musketeers, no one is in a position to complain when Peter Hyams borrows a familiar character to spin a new tale. Read the entire Three Musketeers trilogy by Dumas (3M, Twenty Years Later, Ten Years After) and don't look for much, if any, resemblance to the celluloid versions.
The scruffy costumes of the disenfranchised Musketeers, the elaborate court dress, and the (back to Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon) use of torches and candles to light indoor scenes was useful window dressing, but who really cares if it was filmed in Luxembourg, France or Grand Fenwick?
I was amused but not impressed. But I have seen a lot worse films with bigger stars and more ambitious plots. (Rhymes with plotz, which would be Dumas' reaction to all these films).
Movie Review: Peter Hyams should think before he does.
Summary: 3 Stars
THE MUSKETEER (PG-13, Action Sequences and Brief Sensuality)THE GENRE: Adventure
THE CAST: Justin Chambers, Mena Suvari and Tim Roth.
THE PLOT: After his parents' murders, D'Artagan (Chambers) finds the man who killed them and heads off with his posse clan of Musketeers to get revenge.
WHAT WORKS: Some cool action scenes, great scenery, a worthy performance from Mena Suvari, and a couple of chuckles here and there.
WHAT DOESN'T: Non-stop stupidity acting from Justin Chambers who makes the movie seem like it is as boring as the early 1940's black and white TV show, Zorro. There is no character building, no fun plot and no common sense. The action sequences aren't all that great either. This escapade of non-stop old-fashioned fun isn't fun anymore. And this film is so typical that you already know how it ends right from the beginning. The plot has been played out so many times in so many movies, that this film makes it one to many. And the eight year old comic relief didn't help much either. Peter Hyams springs off a fantasy adventure where the movie is so dull, the film being great is a fantasy in itself.
THE CATCH: You will be entertained to some point reguardless. The film really doesn't have such spontanious action scenes and special effects like it claims. We've seen a lot better.
OVERALL: "Justin Chambers gets some kicks, falls in love with a hot chick, tries to give this film some gallic wit, but can't do anything for this rather cheezy flick. Pass on this one and check out something more fun."
Movie Review: It's fun...
Summary: 3 Stars
Ok, first let me state that this film is poorly directed, horribly edited, and generally doesn't have the best acting you've ever seen.That aside, I did find this film enjoyable. There were plenty of parts I found myself grumbling about, but overall I liked this movie. Maybe it's because I don't have a problem looking past production values, or maybe it's because I have a weak spot for heroic adventure stories. Whatever the case, this film didn't make me feel like I wasted $20.00 (if I count the price of my girlfriend's ticket and concessions).
Some people have complained about the fight scenes not being realistic or some non-sense, but I wonder if those same people realise movie fight scenes are normally never realistic. The style fight choreographer Xin Xin Xiong brings to the film adds to it's excitement. It's not strictly traditional european swordsmanship but neither is it asian martial arts.
The story, focusing on D'Artagnan, does well to include the "Three Musketeers" (Porthos, Athos, and Aramas) in what 'feels' like a more accurate rendition of the book (I've never read it).
If you try to focus on what the movie does well and try to overlook what it does poorly, you should enjoy this film. It's not the best of the year for sure, but good adventure films are hard to come by and this one is worth seeing even if you have to wait for video.
Movie Review: It could've been so much more.
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me start off by saying I liked this movie. The fight scenes were amazing, though there weren't as many of them as I had hoped. The reason I give 3 stars is because the story was quite bland and in some parts downright boring. If I was reviewing this movie with just the action scenes in mind, I'd give it 4 or probably even 5 stars. The movies story line was not that interesting and a little hard to follow in some parts. The bland story came as a real disapointment to me. From the previews I saw of the movie, I was expecting an epic story of the musketeers. There was nothing epic about it when I saw it. If a little more care had gone in to the story, it could've possibly been compared to movies like Gladiator and The Patriot. All of it is not disapointing though. The sword fighting scenes are what really keep the movie alive. The fight scenes are some of the best and coolest I've ever seen in a movie. The best fight was definitly the final battle on the ladders. That was just amazing. My only complaint about them is that there weren't enough fights. In the end if your looking for a movie with a good story, this ain't it. The Mask of Zorro on the other hand, with it's wonderful story and sword play, is a much better pick.Movie Review: A Viewer from Southern Maryland
Summary: 3 Stars
Not a great movie, perhaps not even all that memorable (as either really good or really bad). But it is certainly not as bad as some of the reviews on this site would have you believe. I suspect that those who have the worst to say were expecting something much more. If that's the case, see Michael York et al in the two-parter - "The Three Musketeers" and "The Four Musketeers." With regard to "The Musketeer" - Pros: lush scenery, lots of acrobatics (some unintentionally funny); Cons: wooden acting - there's something about a Mid-West American accent that doesn't quite fit in a movie set in 17th-century France, a really poor adaptation of the Dumas novel coupled to a script that really doesn't keep the viewer hooked. But if you're looking for a throw-away evening in front of the TV and you've got good company, a bowl of popcorn, and are ready to laugh, then you could do worse than "The Musketeer." Perhaps I should have waited until it went down in price, but I don't regret the [money]I spent to buy the DVD. In summary: my wife and daughter were bored, I didn't think it was all that great, but my two teenage sons and I had a good couple of laughs.