The Return of the Musketeers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Return of the Musketeers Blu-ray Movie Review

Another adventure of The Musketeers.

The Return of the Musketeers is an action-adventure sequel which follows up on the original classics from filmmaker Richard Lester: The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974). Executive produced by Wayne Drizin and Mario Sotela, The Return of the Musketeers brings entertaining swordplay, action-adventure, and comedy to the mix. (With a dash of romance too.)

Th Musketeers strike back. D'Artagnan (Michael York), Athos (Oliver Reed), Porthos (Frank Finlay), and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain) are back in action (after far too many years). Over 20 years following the execution of Milady de Winter, her beautiful daughter, Justine de Winter (Kim Cattrall), seeks revenge. Atho's adopted son, Raoul (C. Thomas Howell) also finds some unexpected chemistry with Justine de Winter as romance soars through the sky. Who will emerge victorious as swordplay ensues?

One of the best elements of the film is the performances. The cast of returning players have a blast reuniting as these characters. It is obvious the actors are enjoying their time together. One of the greatest joys of the film is the scene-stealing Kim Cattrall. Cattrall delights as Justine de Winter: exuding confidence and sexiness with her badass performance. A great role for the actress and the performance makes the film all the more entertaining.

The action sequences are entertaining as well. With lots of swash-buckling adventure and swords clashing, the adventures of the musketeers is full of excitement. The action is one of the focal elements of the production. While it might not be able to compare to modern big-budget spectacles like Avengers: Endgame, The Return of the Musketeers has enough fun with its comedic action scenes to be worthwhile.

Time for some swordplay!

The romantic elements are interesting as well. The chemistry between Kim Cattrall and C. Thomas Howell is compelling. There is something charming about the way in which these sequences unfold. The romantic elements will appeal to men and women – and bring more fun to the story.

Inspired by the work of Alexandre Dumas, screenwriter George MacDonald Fraser (Octopussy, Red Sonja) has a blast with coming up with quirky one-liners and funny moments. The film never takes itself too seriously and that is part of the fun. The Return of the Musketeers is far from brilliant but something about its carefree charm is enjoyable.

The original music composed by Jean-Claude Petit (Cyrano de Bergerac, Jean de Florette) is one of the best elements of the production. The music helps to enhance the action and the adventure. With the production design efforts of Gil Parrondo (The Boys from Brazil, The Bridge of San Luis Rey) in unison, the filmmaking excels. And all alongside the interesting visuals from cinematographer Bernard Lutic (Winged Migration, Colonel Chabert).

Another production element which impressed was the fantastic costume designs. Featuring costumes by Yvonne Blake (Goya's Ghosts, Superman), both the Musketeers and Kim Cattrall's Justine de Winter have strong costumes which highlight their characters well. The results are fitting for the material.

Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night, Help!) directs and brings something fun to each sequence. Expanding on the universe of The Musketeers films he established, Lester plays with his own cinematic universe like a kid in a sandbox. The results are entertaining. Fans of action-adventure movies with a dose of comedy will find plenty to enjoy in this romp. Worth a look.

The Return of the Musketeers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, The Return of the Musketeers is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The release features a somewhat dated looking master which doesn't do the film any favors. Though the scan is watchable and decidedly serviceable, The Return of the Musketeers is not a show-stopping encode. Colors look somewhat drab and mundane throughout the feature-film.

The image is somewhat soft throughout and never as pleasing as a 4K scan would have provided. Nonetheless, it is a decent print, one with little in the way of print damage. There are no egregious issues with scratches, dirt, debris, and other distractions. An average transfer – but one that gets the job done.

The Return of the Musketeers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The sound quality on the release is adequate and manages to be a slight improvement over the video-quality. Dialogue is clear and consistently easy to understand. The sound-effects are well integrated into the sound-stage too. Everything sounds perfectly fine (even if the track lacks the finesse of our modern high-fidelity productions).

Optional English subtitles are provided.

The Return of the Musketeers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Critic Peter Tonguette

Image Gallery (HD, 7:36)

The Return of the Musketeers Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:54)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: The Knack... and How to Get It (SD, 3:44), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (SD, 2:23), How I Won the War (HD, 3:14), The Bed Sitting Room (SD, 3:17), Juggernaut (SD, 2:54), and Cuba (SD, 1:55).

The Return of the Musketeers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Return of the Musketeers is surprisingly charming. The third film in a series from director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night), The Return of the Musketeers is full of exciting action-adventure and comedic fun. The production merits are impressive and the swordplay is worthwhile. The Blu-ray features a decent video-audio presentation and a selection of extras. Recommended.