Three For Three by Jansen Musico The Three...

Three For Three
by Jansen Musico

The Three Musketeers (2011)
D: Paul W. S. Anderson
S: Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Christoph Waltz, Orlando Bloom

The Three Musketeers is forced and flimsy in some parts, but all in all it is fun. It is what it is, a flashy adventure film packaged as another potentially successful Hollywood franchise. If the general public would see the film like I did, then there’d be no question to a sequel. So far, several critics have panned it, but fans of good old senseless entertainment would probably side with me because of three things.

1. It’s loose. Really, really loose.

If only Alexandre Dumas were alive today, he’d be exceedingly rich from all the royalties people would pay him. His novel, Les Trois Mousquetaires, is clearly one of the most adapted works of literature. It’s been made into cartoons, TV shows, and several flicks and spin-offs. Some of them were goofy, some bizarre, and some way too serious for their own good. What I like about this version, written by Andrew Davies and Alex Litvak, is that it isn’t afraid to stretch the classic tale.

The infusion of sci-fi, steampunk, and comedy sets their version apart from its run-of-the-mill predecessors. Dumas purists would perhaps demand the heads of the filmmakers for bastardizing the story. But for purposes of brainless enjoyment, I give the filmmakers a thumbs-up.

2. Milla and the Musketeers

I tip my hat to whomever is responsible for assembling the main cast, especially that person who picked Milla Jovovich to play Milady de Winter. (That person is of course none other than the director, Paul W. S. Anderson, who is also Jovovich’s husband.) Thanks to her stints as Alice (in the Resident Evil series) and Violet (Ultraviolet), she’s become typecast as this too-cool-for-school femme fatale. The Three Musketeers doesn’t do anything to remedy that problem, however it does reignite memories of another loveable heroine she once played, Leeloo from The Fifth Element. Jovovich’s Milady, though lethal and cunning, is quirky and is such a delight to watch.

Logan Lerman’s D’Artagnan may also be easy on the eyes, but it’s his three colleagues, Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Aramis (Luke Evans), and Porthos (Ray Stevenson), who carry his slack in acting. I’m not saying he’s bad. I’m saying they are slightly better. The three play up their characters’ traits well and are very consistent throughout the film.

3. En garde!

About a year ago I talked about how Western fight scenes paled in comparison to Asian ones. Asian fight scenes tend to be more motivated and aesthetically pleasing when witnessed on film. Somehow there is always a lack of finesse when it comes to gun-heavy Western films. Also, instances of American knife fight choreography almost always look as if they are haphazard stabbing sprees. Thank heavens for fencing!

The fight scenes, though measured and predictable, are choreographed well. The rooftop duel between D’Artagnan and Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen) is messy, but I mean that in a good way. Heroes can’t always be squeaky clean and unscathed, can they?

As I stated earlier, The Three Musketeers is forced and flimsy in some parts. Most of the effects, if not all of them, are over the top. But this is Hollywood, so we really can’t expect any less—or more, in terms of restraint. What I expect, though, is a sequel. I want to see the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) and Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) get a piece of the action.