Customer Reviews

The Return of the Musketeers [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yes, this loose version of Dumas' "Twenty Years After" doesn't reach the heights of the original Richard Lester-directed films (The Three and Four Musketeers), but it is not without its charms, not the least of which is Kim Cattrall as a stunning yet deadly swordswoman who is bent on revenge on the musketeers for the death of her mother (Milady de Winter) in the earlier films.

Most of the surviving characters are back, and the team of Lester and scripter George Macdonald Fraser (the Flashman books) is still capable of hitting a few out of the park. But this film seems, like the musketeers themselves, older and more tired. The jokes aren't quite as zingy, the action not quite as inventive, the score not as propulsive, and the scheming Cardinal Mazarin is no match for Charlton Heston's masterful Richelieu. But "Return" is still a hundred times better than the norm for this genre. Cattrall's villainess is one of the great cinematic female swashbucklers (she could give Xena a run for her dinars), and the film is mainly successful as a rollicking adventure, although the complicated court intrigue is not a very engaging plotline to those not familiar with the French politics of the time. Sadly, it was Roy Kinnear's last movie (he died in a riding accident during filming, and there are some awkward scenes that were shot around his absence), which casts a pall around the project and Lester's normal joie de vivre. But I still rate this highly, and recommend it (now that the price has been lowered). (But why the "R" rating? There is nothing worse in this than in the original films.)

Surprisingly faithful depiction of Dumas' "Twenty Years After." Kim Kattrall provides a very formidable enemy for the reunited Musketeers, while the film itself provides an excellent excuse to bring back the original cast of director Richard Lester's Musketeer movies from the 1970s.

Much of the same energy from these previous films is in this one. There are a few odd moments, and some of the changes from Dumas' original story-line are a bit irritating. But for the most part, Lester hasn't lost in this film his ability to portray slapstick swashbuckle, or his ability for showing how any given situation can evolve to the comically surreal.

Among points to note are Geraldine Chaplin's excellent performance as Anne of Austria, and whose appearance in the film seems less the result of a casting director and more the result of a time machine ... she seems untouched by age.

The film is also colored by the fact that Roy Kinnear - who played Planchet - was killed in an accident during filming. There were a couple of scenes that were obviously meant to include him and in which a double was employed, which makes one sad.

While not the best film you'll ever see, it's quite enjoyable for fans of the first two movies. Admittedly, nostalgia plays a role in my opinions of this movie: it was good to see THIS particular cast once more portray the Four Musketeers.

The Return of the Musketeers is the fourth remake of the Alexandre Dumas novel "The Twenty Years After.(A Russian and Italian version stayed closer to the original novel Milady had a son Mordaunt nee John Francis de Winter.The French made a 1955 version which like this version changed Milady's son into a daughter.This is a great follow-up to The Three and Four Musketeers.Being that Faye Dunaway was killed off in the Four Musketeers.Kim Cattrall is excellent as a foil for the Musketeers as Milady and Rochefort's illegitimate daughter after the Four Musketeers for having her mother executed (rightfully,so.).The acting,sets and costumery are great.It's a shame that Oliver Reed and Roy Kinnear are now deceased they could have been back for a fourth film based on the Musketeers final years-The Man in the Iron Mask.A great trilogy if there ever was one.At least the Russians filmed the 3 works.

This is the third installment of the Richard Lester Musketeer's films. Based largely of Dumas' "Twenty Years Later," Lester was able to gather the original cast like Michael York, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay, and Christopher Lee to name a few. Chamberlain also is in the film and new additions are C. Thomas Howell and Kim Catrall.

York and Reed give strong performances. Finlay is again in great form as well as is Christopher Lee. Howell and Catrall give fine performances but lack the same chemistry as the original cast.

Lester still loves the action-slapstick comedy routine and for the most part it works, but on a lesser scale than the first two. The fight scenes are delivered well enough but this film never gives the same great action/romantic adventure as the others and therefore waarents a three stars. It is good enough to watch once, but unlike the first two, which can be viewed over and over again, never beckens the viewer to return to this movie.

This is an entertaining sequel to the two musketeers films of the '70s. Not as good as the first one (hard to top), but still fun and the cast still looks great. Does Michael York ever age? Could Oliver Reed be any cooler? The assault on the castle (via hot air balloon) toward the end of the film is the highlight. The music accompanies the film well and the main theme is thrilling. If you liked the first two, you might want to pony up the dough and buy this one.

WHile not on the same level as the first two Musketeer movies made by Richard Lester, the Return of the Musketeers is still a great movie. Nearly all the original cast are together again and the magic is still there. This sort of comedy/swashbuckler seems to have been forgotten a bit nowadays ( The Mark of Zoro has some of the ingredients, but leans more to the adventure side ) Somewhat loosely based on Dumas' The Musketeers: Twenty years later, the Return of the Musketeers sports a female swordslinger in Lady the Winter's daughter, who's lust for revenge brings the four Musketeers together again. They should be greatful! It even leaves the suggestion of a sequel, since the villainess escapes in the end, but no further movies were made. On the whole: a movie that is fun to watch, just don't take it seriously.

This does not live up to the Salkind-directed predecessors, but it's still an entertaining film. It is also the only English language version of Dumas's "20 Years After" that I have ever encountered. Seeing Oliver Reed reprise his role is worth rental price.

A real disappointment - 3 stars only because of the indestructible charisma of Oliver Reed and the high production values. What the screenwriter and director forgot is CHARACTER -no dialogue ever creates an impression of personality that isn't based on the assumption that the viewer has seen the first two films. Dialogue is atrociously simplistic, and Cattrall's fencing simply not up to par. Michael York's narration is unnecessary and an example of the screenwriter's laziness. Wasted opportunity, and a real shame.

The first two entries in this series, the 1970's "Three Musketeers" and "Four Musketeers," were probably the best movie versions of Dumas that will ever be made. This third segment has all the right elements -- same cast, same director, same script writer. But the story never comes alive. A few short sequences have the old magic -- especially Oliver Reed's reaction to the execution of Charles I -- but mostly it flails around in a series of pointless stunts and fat jokes. Aramis' defection from the team has no emotional impact -- compare it to D'Artagnan changing sides in "The Man in the Iron Mask." It's obviously just something they did because they couldn't afford Richard Chamberlain for as many shooting days as the other actors. Skip this movie, and re-watch the other ones in the same series instead.

"The Return of the Musketeers" is a fine adaptation of Dumas' sequel "Twenty Years After" and is especially poignant in that it was made, if not twenty years after, about sixteen years after "The Three Musketeers" and "The Four Musketeers", with almost all of the primary cast members. It's great to see them reunited and the film itself does justice -- albeit with liberties -- to the stirring book by Alexandre Dumas. If you enjoyed the 1973 films, I warrant you'll enjoy this sequel. Now, if only it would be released on DVD....