The Three Musketeers

"The Three Musketeers" was quite a bombastic production. Director Paul W. S. Anderson treats the viewers to large explosive elements in this cinematic return to the telling of tales of the Three Musketeers (Athos, Porthos, and Aramis) as a brash, would-be, 4th Musketeer (D'artagnan) arrives on the scene, as France and England have to deal with issues of supremacy in Europe.

For the most part, the film is short on characterization, moderate on character motivations (double-dealings), and long on spectacle in order to mask its shortcomings. Director Anderson often picks odd angles to shoot scenes with dialogue, almost distractingly so. But some of the action scenes are fun and lively, and others are shot with 3D in mind (while stretching all sorts of incredulity - some of Milla Jovovich's character's action scenes are of this ilk, but she's married to the director, so you can do the math).

I give it 2.5 stars or a grade of C+.