I read alot of reviews that said to stay away!, I think they were wrong, it has a few nice twists to keep it fresh, but, it does not deviate too much from the original story.

A lot of humor, a new look at swordplay, and a decent storyline.

This has got to be the worst movie based on the Three Musketeer's ever made. Wait it has to be the worst movie ever made.

I love these kind of movies and for me to get up and leave the theater 45 minutes into the movie, it's got to be bad. The acting was extremely bad, it looked like I was watching models trying to be actors. OOPS there were models trying to be actors....

The sword fighting I'm sure was good, but it moved so fast you couldn't see who was who much less anything else. Even Stephen Rea and Tim Roth, two of the best actors around could make it worth seeing.

If you want to see a good Three Musketeer movie see "The Three Musketeer's" with Keifer Southerland, Charlie Scheen, Oliver Platt, and Chris O'Donnell. Tim Curry is positively evil as the Cardinal Richelieu. Please don't waste your money on realy cheap imitations.

another remake of the Dumas classic, only this time it forcus is on one muskteer. What I like about the film is the villain played by Tim Roth. Like Christopher Walken, Roth knows how to play the bad guy in this rousing film.

It's not often I find myself laughing out loud at movies that are supposed to be semi-serious. I never as a rule say anything while a movie is playing for fear of ruining other peoples enjoyment. But, with The Musketeer, I was laughing and cringing and I found myself, with my head in my hands, saying things out loud such as: "Oh, come on!", "No flippin way!", and "This is ridiculous!"

I cringed at the dialog and laughed at the stunts, the acting and the much lauded fight scenes.

The Musketeer is a memorable movie, but for the wrong reasons.

Tim Roth for instance. A fine actor who seemed, along with Steven Rea and Catherine Deneuve, to be bored with the movie and couldn't be bothered to put in the effort. Of course it didn't help that whenever he (Tim Roth) moved in his (evil?) black leather outfit he was accompanied by the loud creaking of leather on leather.

(Possible spoilers to follow)

THE STUNTS.

Excessive wire work with numerous physics defying flips, jumps, spins and flying fighters had the audience wondering if this wasn't, in fact, just a re-run of 'Once Upon A Time In China' Not surprising though considering Xin Xin Xiong (the choreographer in The Musketeer) was actually Jet Li's stunt double in Once Upon A Time and the final fight on the ladders is just copied from that movie.

Amongst other laughable moments. Watch how quickly D'Artagnan scales the tower, sometimes he is being pulled up quicker than he can move his hands and feet. It was like watching one of those early Batman & Robin episodes when the director would turn the camera sideways to make it look as if they were scaling a building.

(Also, keep an eye open for the unbelievable jump forward from one galloping horse to another ten feet ahead)

THE FIGHT SCENES.

Wherever a room or location was filled with appropriate props i.e. barrels, ladders or ropes then a fight ensued.Unfortunately they became more outrageous as the movie progressed. They are so unrealistic that it takes away from what little the film does have going for it. The climactic battle between the good guy and the bad guy is so swamped by the props and wire work that the death scene is just confusing and lost. (Also, watch D'Artagnan lose his sword 100ft up a tower, only to have it again in the next scene)

THE PLOT

Besides being nothing at all like the Dumas novel, this movie also had more plot holes than Bin Ladens alibi.

Why on earth for instance, when your enemy is hanging from a rope 100ft from the ground, would you send out two or three men to attack him hand to hand? Why not just cut the rope?

Why, in the first scene, after killing Ma & Pa, does the villain ride off after being hit in the eye by a 10yr old D'Artagnan instead of ordering his men to slaughter the boy, or even doing it himself?

Why does D'Artagnan's mentor, an old man, not age and have the same clothes on some 14 years later?

How did the director expect us to believe that a group of horsemen would actually charge a heavily defended castle? (Twas like something out of a Monty Python movie I kept expecting the riders to shout "RUN AWAY!!" )

Anywho, despite a giggle factor of about 6 only persons under the age of 12 might possibly enjoy this movie..........I didn't!

3/10
I welcome your comments about my comments at fdperth@wiredcity.com.au