17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Depends on what you want., January 10, 2006
If you want Dumas's original story in cinematic form, you'll be disappointed. It's been done, and done, and done again, even by Mickey Mouse. This director has chosen not to trudge down the same old rut. Instead, he's created a story parallel to and interlaced with the classic.
As long as you can take this movie for itself, it's fair entertainment. Deneuve is a lovely as ever; her mature, regal look fits the queen's role perfectly. This is a 21st century flick, so there have to be chase scenes - even though it's horse and carriage stuff, the chase scenes are completely up to date. The adventure and intrigue carry the story along well, with a comedic edge that keeps it from turning into a grim parody.
If you want a light swashbuckler, you came to the right place. If you really wanted the classic Musketeers - well, it's been done and done again. You'll just have to keep looking.
//wiredweird
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Why are there soooo many ladders here???, March 17, 2002
While my wife and I are fans of this genre of film, we were at first appalled, and then disgusted by this poorly executed version. Some people have praised the fight sequences, but I found them lacking for the most part, and laughable in others--esp. the men on ropes on the castle's turret, and in the room full of ladders. Why were there so many ladders there anyway? Most disturbing were the inconsistencies in the plot. Why doesn't the hero make it back to the queen BEFORE the bad guys whom he beats up at the river scene? Why does he ride to Paris rather than to the ferry, where he could have saved Lord Buckingham and foiled the cardinal's plot? Why was this movie even made?? Save your money...we were disappointed even though we only rented it.
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20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
All for one, one for all? I don't think so..., July 8, 2002
Ewwww! Had to go soak my head in the sink after this one. The Musketeer is one of the most feeble films I've had the displeasure to see in a long time (and I like a lot of films that are generally deemed "stinkpots." This one was low even for my deplorable taste.) Despite what is going to be a nasty review ahead, you might love this film anyway if you adore all swashbucklers and swordfighting films. So keep this in mind as you read further.
The Musketeer is an adaptation of Dumas' Three Musketeers. I'm not rating this film badly because this subject has been filmed excessively --I love retold classics and we can always use a good swashbuckler. I don't even mind that this is "Musketeer Lite" (with only 1 Calorie, I mean, Musketeer instead of the three or four we usually are served up. Your favorites, Pothos, Aramis and Athos are present, but are usually drunk or being disaffected during most of the film.)
What makes me want to demand satisfaction from the producers of this travesty is the miserable script, stupid direction, sloppy editing and shoddy acting. While Stephen Rea (Cardinal Richelieu) and his minion-from-Hell Febre (Tim Roth) were admirable villains, our hero D'Artagnan (Justin Chambers) was pathetic. Obviously, the casting director wanted Johnny Depp, who wisely steered clear of the script or was hiding behind a velvet curtain when this role was being passed out. Justin Chambers looks like he's making a real effort to be a Depp copy, but his lack of acting ability and slurred diction proved that cloning is years away from being able to be successfully implemented.
Catherine Deneuve is nervous but adequate as the French queen (however, in a number of scenes she is visibly looking at the director with a Gallic twist to her eyebrows and a French word nearly on her lips beginning with "m." ) The exceptionally pretty Mena Suvari is a nice touch as the ingénue Francesca. She gets most of what would have been the good lines. Too bad her delivery was about as punchy as a tax court case summation.
Even worse were the special effects from Hong Kong's action-meister Xin Xin Xiong (rhymes with "wrong".) This looked like a bad copy of "Crouching Tiger" with "stuntman-on-a-string" action in the sword fights and what could have been good but was merely stupid and unrealistic dancing on the ceiling. BUT, if you love special effects, lots of swordplay and fighting, you might love this film just for these scenes alone. The good news is that on the DVD, you can fast-forward to these scenes, indulge your bloodlust and skip the rest of the gar-BAHZH.. I love swordfighting but not enough to love this film.
The setting was supposedly in Paris and other parts of France, but done mostly in Luxembourg. This added to the unconvincing effect, though the donjons, palaces and scenery were lovely European postcards. It just wasn't France, except for some spots filmed in Toulouse. Which rhymes with "you lose."
All for one and one for all? Not a chance. This film is definitely "All for NONE."
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