recommended

An action-packed slog

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Just saw this film for the first time in 10 years and I still really enjoyed it. The characters are funny, the actors are perfect for the roles they were given and the story, as often as it has been told, was well executed. The three musketeers is a story I have grown up with. I've seen and read pretty much every version out there, but this is still one of the most enjoyable versions. It is a film that you can enjoy at any time of the day. It is not a popcorn kind of film and you don't have to pay endless amounts of attention either. It is not a brain teaser. Just kick back and enjoy. You will not regret watching it if you are looking for a light hearted comedy with a pinch of drama.

Now this is a true Three Musketeers movie. I grew up absolutely loving this film to virtually no end. No other version compares to it.We all know the story: The treacherous Cardinal Richelieu (Tim Currey) plots to overthrow the king of France by disbanding his guard, the musketeers, and forming an alliance with the Duke of Bukingham. With the the help of the one-eyed Captain Rochefort (Michael Wincott) and the deadly Countess DeWinter (Rebecca De Mornay), it seems that the Cardinal is unstoppable. Luckily, the three musketeers stand in his way. With the help of the young and cocky D'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell), Athos (Kiefer Sutherland), Porthos (Oliver Platt), and Aramis (Charles Sheen) shall cut down evil and save all of France.This movie has all the charm, action, drama, and comedy mixed with an all-star cast. The villains are delightfully despicable the way they play around with the thoughts and actions of all the clueless people around them. The musketeers are truly unique: Athos having the tendency to be serious, Porthos being the comical ladies man with all kinds of crazy weapons, and Aramis as a mild mannered priest. D'Artagnan is a bit stubborn to a fault, but he's still pretty good.Definitely superior to every other movie adaptation. Check out this wonderful adventure.

I got one word for this movie: Stupid! Just flat out, plain stupid!Overall, this was a very entertaining and it had the moments, but I have to say it was one of the worst versions of The Three Musketeers ever and I hope this latest version of The Three Musketeers is better. The plot in this movie did not follow the original plot and there was not enough dialogue between some very important characters from the book. Yes, this movie is meant for entertaining the kids and family, and I will admit there were a couple of times where I laughed at it, but that was mostly because of how stupid and inaccurate the screen writer made the movie.The whole plot is where the Cardinal, who is portrayed as an evil, merciless man, dismisses the musketeers as the king's bodyguards so the musketeers wouldn't be in the way of his evil plan to become king and in comes D'Artagnan who is just itching to be a musketeer like his father finds out about the Cardinal's plot so he and the three musketeers have to go and stop the evil plot. D'Artagnan is a naive and hot-headed little boy and perhaps a bit stupid; Athos is a brave drunk; Aramis is a humble, religious man yet a seducer(?); and Porthos is an arrogant womanizer and a pirate?!?!?! Where exactly did the pirate come from? When D'Artagnan found out Porthos was a pirate, he was actually AMAZED by it! Amazed by it? If D'Artagnan ever first found this out in the first place, he would not even step a foot near Porthos again! Did Disney even know back then that if you were found out to be a pirate or associating yourself with a pirate, you would be hanged?!?!?!?!?! Obviously not! They just think that everything they do in this movie is possible, even with a pirate being able to be a musketeer, not to mention a religious man such as Aramis being a seducer!And where exactly did the ninja come from? This takes place in the 17th century in France, so how exactly does the ninja fit in this movie? If this was a ninja or samurai version of The Three Musketeers, then maybe I would find the ninja believable, but since this is NOT a ninja or samurai version of The Three Musketeers, then I would have to say that Disney did a pretty poor job at creating this movie!The movie was entertaining, but just stupid. Do yourselves and your kids a favor, don't have them watch this horrible crap because it just gives them the wrong idea on the actual historic figures and facts.

Carping about the lack of fidelity of Disney's The Three Musketeers to Dumas' book or to history misses the point. It's not *our* history. It is (implicitly) set in a parallel world, possibly - no, probably - the same one in which the delightfully silly sword-romp At Sword's Point (1952 ) is set. And this too is a delightfully silly sword-romp, not to be taken seriously in the least.Almost every time the story is revisited, the character of Athos gets another softening. In the book he murdered (or attempted to murder) his wife out-of-hand, without waiting for her to regain consciousness and try to explain (what an SOB!), and still hates even her memory. The relationship never comes up in Fairbanks Sr's The Three Musketeers, and is barely hinted at in a reaction-shot in The Iron Mask - which still manages to make clear that there's some real bad history there. By the 1948 version, he "merely" repudiated her - and never ceased to love her. In the 1993 version he believed her guilty of murder and turned her over to her enemies, and grieved for her ever after.I don't have a favorite version of The Three Musketeers - each and every one I have seen is flawed, usually in different ways. But this one makes a nice casual treat, particularly on a double bill followed by At Sword's Point.