One for all and all for France!
2023-04-05
$27.5M
121 min
D'Artagnan, a spirited young Gascon, is left for dead after trying to save a noblewoman from being kidnapped. Once in Paris, he tries by all means to find his attackers, unaware that his quest will lead him to the very heart of a war where the future of France is at stake. Aided by King's Musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis, he faces the machinations of villainous Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter, while falling in love with Constance, the Queen's confidante.
The best way I can describe this effort is a contemporised, misinterpretation, of Dumas novel.
If, like me, you have read The Three Musketeers novel, more than once, you'll find this film largely divorced, from that work. The inconsistencies are glaring.
The most obvious is steering this tale away from its focus on the male leads, in favour of not necessarily peripheral but definitely secondary or tertiary, female characters. Yes, in my opinion, its yet another clumsy chance to hoist the flag of feminism. Making female characters relevant to the story, in the modern woke context. Of course, this predictably, unbalances the story. The musketeers, are, nudged into the background, in the own tale.
The second point of failure is the age of D'Artagnan, who in past films is typically played by a young male actor because this tale, in a sense, is a coming of age story. That's all swept aside too, quite possibly in service to the feminisation of the story.Instead, he's portrayed by a 33 year old man, incongruously called, "a boy". Suffice to say, it all feels rather awkward.
Are there any redeeming elements to the production? Obviously, the acting is sound, its a strong cast. Money has been spent on sets, settings, fight choreography and more, to try to bring this period in French history, to life.
Regrettably, so much else is wrong that this film simply feels "openly fake", to this reviewer. I do not see it as a loyal expression, of Dumas sterling work. Nor the period, in which it is set.
In summary,feminises an essentially masculine tale. Don't believe me, just look at the poster, not to mention the film itself. In my view there are numerous superior and more accurate, cinematic expressions of Dumas work, on offer.
