My review of “The Three Musketeers” is going to serve as a defense of Paul W.S. Anderson, the widely reviled, yet in my estimation underappreciated, director of the movie. “The Three Musketeers” is a 3D action adventure comedy. Anderson filmed the movie using the next generation of technology director James Cameron used to create “Avatar,” and as a result has produced the best-looking 3D movie since Cameron’s seminal release.
Unlike the cheap and visually abhorrent 2D to 3D conversions that thankfully seem to be slowing to a trickle, the 3D in “The Three Musketeers” is colorful and vibrant. In 2010, Anderson gleefully used 3D to throw a bloodied axe at viewers in “Resident Evil 4.” Here, he shows restraint, using the added dimension to create depth and bring the ornate historical locations at which he filmed to life. He does poke a few swords at viewers, but he doesn’t go overboard. Concerning the “action adventure comedy” aspect of the movie, “The Three Musketeers” is a steampunk-inspired version of the Alexandre Dumas novel.
As in the original story, a young man named D’Artagnan leaves home and hearth and travels to Paris to become one of the Musketeers, only to find them penniless and without purpose. Anderson deviates from the book, however, by throwing in airships armed to the teeth with artillery unlikely to have existed in the 17th Century. The plot involves an attempt by Athos, Porthos, Aramis and their newly acquired apprentice to undermine the scheming Cardinal Richelieu, who wants to ignite a war between France and England and become the sole ruler of the former. Playing both ends of the game is the villainous Milady de Winter.
In the film’s opening sequence, the Musketeers steal the blueprints for an airship designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, but Milady, who aids in the theft, double-crosses the boys and gives the blueprints to England’s Duke of Buckingham. Later, we learn she’s secretly working for Richelieu. While the plot is at times silly, it represents a step forward for Anderson, who to date has written and directed scripts that can be generously described as a hot mess. However, working from a screenplay credited to two other writers, Anderson not only does a good job of establishing his characters, their motives and the geography in which the film takes places, but also skillfully ties together the various strands of intrigue.
Granted, “The Three Musketeers,” especially this version, does not require a grasp of theme and subtext, but it’s encouraging to see a director with as much potential as Anderson responding to the criticism he’s received by striving to improve. Some credit must be given to the cast of capable actors Anderson had at his disposal. I especially enjoyed Christoph Waltz as Richelieu, a character that’s at least half as devious as Waltz’s Col. Hans Landa in “Inglorious Basterds.” Waltz played Richelieu straight, giving the movie more dramatic weight than it otherwise would have had. Anderson allowed the actors who played the Musketeers to have fun with their roles, but they still delivered solid performances.
Clumsy acting has been a hallmark of Anderson’s movies, so I was pleased to see what his actors produced in “The Three Musketeers.” Even Anderson’s wife, Milla Jovovich, the star of “Resident Evil” and Milady in this one, comes across as a natural – when she’s not leaping from buildings and fighting in slow motion. My only complaint about “The Three Musketeers” concerns the dialogue, which is simplistic and lacks the nuances of its time and culture. It’s also rife with anachronistic one-liners, all of which escape me at the moment, but which had me wincing in the theater.
No matter what you think of Anderson’s previous movies, “The Three Musketeers” is an amply entertaining romp with great looking 3D, nicely choreographed action, lavish sets, excellent production design and capable performances. Although a pure confection, it’s a result of the rare perfect combination of director and material. I’m now looking forward to “Resident Evil 5” and “Pompeii,” Anderson’s next two movies.
Rated PG-13 for action adventure violence and language. Three stars out of four. Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.