This week marks the DVD and Blu-Ray release of the 2011 version of The Three Musketeers directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, whose directing credits primarily consist of Resident Evil movies. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his wife Milla Jovovich stars in that franchise and also has a sizable role as Milady in the latest adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel. One may question the merit of that decision, however. Her Milady is clever but too coquettish to either be likable or adequately villainous.
The place, France. The time, the reign of Louis XIII & Queen Anne, both young and uncertain of their relationship, making them excellent pawns for plots devised by the Duke of Buckingham and Cardinal Richelieu. Orlando Bloom plays the Duke, and he has the most ridiculous hairstyle I’ve ever seen. I would refer to it as a pompadour, but that word supposedly didn’t even exist until the time of Louis XV, when the king took on a mistress named Pompadour.
The movie feels like a crazy blend of elements borrowed from various other films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mission Impossible, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It feels like a film searching for an identity but never quite finding it. Even the music sounded too similar to that of another movie (Sherlock Holmes).
I really wanted to love this film. Dumas’ The Three Musketeers novel is one of my favorite stories, and I can’t count how many times I’ve seen the Disney adaptation starring Chris O’Donnell. Yes, it was a little cheesy, but it was so much fun! Tim Curry made a wonderful Cardinal, and Michael Wincott was a perfectly evil Rochefort. (Rochefort, Isn’t that a smelly kind of cheese?”) And who can forget the incredible swordfighting, so masterly choreographed by the late Bob Anderson? No fancy camera gimmicks, but fighting with passion and elegance.
Unfortunately, the new version relies too heavily on special effects and camera trickery and less on a cohesive storyline and endearing characters. And it follows a Hollywood trend of turning a classic story into something a bit more steampunk, which could work if done well. I don’t feel like that was the case here. And I’m not going to even talk about the airships.
It’s fun at times, though, and the costumes are absolutely exquisite. I would love to have Milady’s gowns and sparkling jewelry. And I truly appreciate the fact that her relationship with Athos is shown onscreen briefly before her true motives are revealed. Plus, the palace rooms and gardens are no less than stunning.
I won’t say it’s a horrible film; it has its merits, as mentioned above. Fans of the swashbuckling genre and steampunk may love it, and it obviously isn’t meant to take itself too seriously. I know at least one guy who saw it primarily because he has a crush on Milla Jovovich. Whatever your reasons, it’s certainly action-packed and has some crazy stunt sequences.
Plus, the 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD contain special features that include audio commentary with the director, deleted and extended scenes, cast and crew stories and a special 17th century action featurette. So if you saw the movie in the theater and liked it, the bonus features may interest you.
Still, I’ll recommend the Disney version over this one any day.