Posts
2011, 10-20; completed 11-12:
Review of film: “THE THREE MUSKETEERS” = As “sweet” as a CANDY BAR!
Frenchman Alexandre Dumas wrote a story about a boy named d’Artagnan who wanted to join a group of disbanded fighters called “MUSKETEERS” who once served a French king in the 17th Century...
... The serialized tale first appeared in a newspaper in 1844. It became very popular, had some “sequel” type stories, & eventually was made into more than 20 FILM versions starting in 1903...
... This new feature film release is a 110-minute PG-13 rated 3-nation co-production version directed by Englishman PAUL W.S. ANDERSON (who previously directed “DEATH RACE” in 2008 & two “RESIDENT EVIL” movies in 2002 & 2010)...
... As the film starts, we are in the city-state of VENICE, Italy, which, at the time, was one of the richest & most powerful entities in Europe...
... From one of the canals there, an ATTACK is made upon a government-controlled building by 3 ex-MUSKETEERS from France: long-haired bearded Athos (MATTHEW MACFADYEN), short-haired Porthos (RAY STEVENSON), & goateed Aramis (LUKE EVANS)...
... Assisting in the attack is an ex-lover of one of the Musketeers, Milady de Winter (MILLA JOVOVICH)...
... She’s a very accomplished fighter, & agrees to help them try to find what they think are some long-hidden plans of LEONARDO DA VINCI for constructing various WAR MACHINES...
... After finding a concealed entrance to a secret chamber, the group realizes that it’s protected by some potentially-deadly hidden devices... But MILLA insists on going forward to try to get what they came for...
... While being pursued by some of the Venetian militia (who they have to try to FIGHT-off), they find what they came after-- the design plans for an AIRSHIP... The group then returns to FRANCE...
... We then are introduced to a 17-ish young man in Gascony, France. His name is D’Artagnan (LOGAN LERMAN)...
... His father -- a poor nobleman (played by DEXTER FLETCHER) -- is teaching him how best to use his SWORD for fighting...
... Logan decides he wants to go to PARIS, to try to become a MUSKETEER as his father had been in the “better” days...
... On the way there, when stopped at an Inn with his spotted pinto-like horse (whose name seemed to be “Buttercup”), Logan hears a man with an eye-patch make disparaging comments about his horse...
... Logan feels “insulted” & demands that the man engage in a sword-fighting DUEL with him over the perceived affront-- not realizing that the guy is France’s greatest swordsman, the Count (Comte) de Rochefort (MADS MIKKELSEN)...
... Mads is in the area to clandestinely contact MILLA, who’s secretly been working for his boss, the King’s chief minister, Cardinal de Richelieu (CHRISTOPHE WALTZ)...
... But the Cardinal often works at ODDS with the young KING’s best interests, & it’s the KING that the MUSKETEERS had stolen da Vinci’s plans for... And that means that Milla is really -- at the very least -- a “DOUBLE AGENT”!...
... In any case, Logan is beaten-up by some GUARDS working for Mads... By the time he gets to Paris, we learn that “Cardinal” Christophe has employed Milla to work to try to foment a WAR between France & England, by dealing with the English Duke of Buckingham (ORLANDO BLOOM)... Politics were VERY COMPLICATED at that time!...
... While in Paris, trying to confront the “Count” Mads (who he fatefully sees there), Logan chances to BUMP into one of the MUSKETEERS...
... And, he soon separately collides with the 2 OTHER Musketeers...
... Being a very egotistical and easily-offended young man in certain ways, Logan promptly individually challenges each of the MUSKETEERS to a sword-fighting duel (not realizing WHO they are)...
... As Logan & the Musketeers come together in town later that day, they’re soon set-upon by MADS & like 40 other guards in red-decorated uniforms (which indicated they were in the employ of “Cardinal” Christophe)...
... To the great surprise of the guards, Logan turns out to be a GREAT fighter...
... He & the Musketeers soon BEAT the guards-- to the cheers of the townspeople who are watching the confrontation... After that, they quickly “STEAL AWAY” from the area...
... But, before they leave the fighting spot, Logan’s “eye” (& other parts of him) are “taken” with the beautiful looks of a blonde-haired lady watching the event, & tries to make “time” with her...
... He didn’t realize that she’s Constance (GABRIELA WILDE), a lady-in-waiting to the French QUEEN (JUNO TEMPLE). Not knowing “who” he is, Gabriela soon “brushes him off”...
... Logan departs with the MUSKETEERS, & tells them how he’d come to Paris “to be ONE of you”, as his father had been... Impressed with that (& his fighting ability), they let him stay WITH them at their hideout...
... Christophe is always working to “co-opt” the efforts of anyone trying to help the young KING, since he wants to be in “CONTROL” of what’s done by & for the King...
... He thus has his men like Mads search for the MUSKETEERS & Logan, wanting to see them PUNISHED for fighting with his men... And, they eventually OVERPOWER them & bring them back to the castle...
... But the inexperienced young King Louis XIII (FREDDIE FOX) is favorably impressed with the exploits of the old Musketeers who’d won a battle of 4 versus 40 (especially because they’d once been HIS personal blue-garbed “guards”)...
... Encouraged by the Queen (who doesn’t like Christophe, without even realizing he’s working against her), rather than “PUNISH” the 4 (as Christophe wants), the King gives them a “slap-on-the-wrist” & actually REWARDS them for their deeds, insisting that they hang around him at the castle...
... That makes Logan more attractive” to Gabriela...
... Eventually, you hear the Musketeers with their famous “clarion call”: “All for one, and One for ALL!”...
... Soon, we see that Milla had brought a copy of the da Vinci AIRSHIP plans to Orlando— meaning she may in-effect be a “TRIPLE” agent!...
... Orlando soon shows-off a newly-built English VERSION of that Airship when he VISITS King Freddie at the castle-- & Freddie is very embarrassed & vexed at being “shown-up”, & tells Christophe he wants one of those built for his OWN use!...
... Cardinal Christophe at one point makes remarks about his overall position, namely his feeling that “The Cardinal RULES the land...”
... And, since Christophe in-effect handles foreign affairs for the King, he himself MEETS with Orlando (tho he doesn’t let-on about all the machinations he’s involved with in trying to foment a WAR between the 2 countries so he himself will have more POWER in France)...
... Well, “knock-me-over” with a feather, there are additional “never-ending” INTRIGUES going on, with Christophe wanting Milla to deliver something of the Queen’s to ORLANDO so French king Freddie won’t TRUST Juno anymore, which he hopes could help lead to the CONFLICT he wants with England...
... The Musketeers & Logan get “WIND” of Christophe’s plot, & set off to England to try to STOP Milla & Buckingham...
... Naturally, that leads to MORE combat, resulting in what appears to be Logan’s CAPTURE at the hands of Orlando’s men...
... And, we’re witness to still FURTHER battles being fought, including on ROOFS of buildings...
... Well, lo & behold, we eventually see that there’s MORE than just one AIRSHIP in the skies!...
... WHO is in CONTROL of that second Airship, & what will that “MEAN” to the political situation?...
... Will the Musketeers ever be able to get Logan FREE from Orlando’s clutches?...
... Will the TRUTH ever come out about Christophe’s dastardly secret plans with Milla, &, if so, to what DEGREE?...
... What will eventually HAPPEN to LOGAN & the 3 Musketeers?!...
... The audience I was with laughed at the baggy “bloomers” type pantaloons worn by the French king, & also at the oddly stiff almost “mincing”-looking DANCING done in the French court... But, those type of things were actually basically CORRECT historically!...
... Some people might think the plot “overblown” in this movie... But, the basic story shown here (less the airships) was IN Duma’s original serial...
... And, since da Vinci did HAVE various plans for flying machines, I found this a pretty CLEVER “combination” of ideas...
... The makers of the film utilized some beautiful “period” type COSTUMES & SETS, along with some very EFFECTIVE photography, “ACTION” sequences (with fighting & explosions) & SPECIAL-effects...
... I found the acting to be quite GOOD overall (especially by Christophe, Logan, Milla & the guys playing the “Musketeers”)...
... While some might fault the “plot”, I feel, this is a period “COSTUME” SWORD-FIGHTING epic-- so, what should you “EXPECT”?!...
... Me, I found this “3 MUSKETEERS” as “sweet” as a CANDY BAR-- &, since it came across as a lot of FUN (with fine production values), I’m rating it at 8.00 out of 10 stars...
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