5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
The hot-headed young D'Artagnan joins forces with three rogue Musketeers in this reboot of Alexandre Dumas' story. They must stop the evil Richlieu and face off with Buckingham and the treacherous Milady.
Starring: Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Milla Jovovich, Luke EvansAction | 100% |
Adventure | 96% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
BDInfo
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
We were the Musketeers. Now, we're just...us.
It's a technical accomplishment, an unquestionably grand picture of visual splendor and precision, the product of a multimillion dollar budget made
by a
crew obviously well-versed in the art of crafting a nearly impeccable recreation of 1600s Europe. Paul W.S. Anderson's (Resident Evil) The Three Musketeers delivers to the five-star level
in
terms of its technical merits, the movie a fine example of polished, big-budget, 21st century filmmaking. But that's pretty much the best of it. As
grand as it may look, The Three Musketeers is also the epitome of the modern day style of superficial and skin-deep filmmaking. Once one
gets past the scale and
scope
of the production, there's nothing left except hollow dialogue, flat characters, mindless action scenes, and an A-B-C plot. It's absolutely predictable
and absolutely
pointless. Aren't there enough movies already in circulation that only really discredit the source rather than bring it to life? Aren't there any
hundreds of films that aim only for overly stylized action rather than plot? The Three
Musketeers seems but an excuse to modernize a tale that needs no modernization. The movie features a Musketeer, in an early scene, rising
from the water as if the inspiration was a ninja Benjamin Willard. Anderson favorite (and real-life wife) Mila Jovovich
slides and
slithers and swings and swats and sword fights around the frame in slow motion, avoiding booby traps as if she were Ethan Hunt or Virginia Baker during a bullet-time sequence from The Matrix, all while wearing a period dress that would hardly allow her
to breathe, let alone perform action movie stunt work. Then there's the high-flying aerial combat between 17th
century aircraft that basically look like blimps with warships slapped onto the bottom. The mantra for this film seemed to be "how cool can this
movie be" rather
than "how smart can this movie be?" The results speak for themselves.
"On guard!" Someone had to say it.
This one's ridiculously simple. The Three Musketeers looks fantastic on Blu-ray, no question about it. This is a dazzler, easily one of the nicest transfers yet in high definition. The image boasts breathtaking clarity. The digital photography never once appears flat or lifeless. On the contrary, it's clean but yields incredibly well-defined and sturdy textures. Fine detail is unflappably excellent. The period costumes spring to life with a level of authenticity and tactility really never captured to this level of 1080p precision. Facial textures appear complex, stone façades immaculate, and even distant grasses sharp and well-defined. Colors are just as impressive. There's no end to the myriad of bright colors that appear throughout the film. Gold trim; blue, green, and purple garb; blue skies; and pretty much every other shade imaginable -- whether in bright daylight or at night -- is presented with balance, vibrancy, and realism. Black levels -- noted primarily in the opening thievery sequence -- are perfectly balanced, just the right shade of dark, never too bright and never crushing out fine details. Flesh tones are also balanced and true. There's not a hint of banding, blocking, aliasing, noise, or anything else that would detract from the image. This one dazzles from beginning to end, a true work of high definition art that ranks amongst the very best on Blu-ray.
The Three Musketeers sounds just about as good as it looks. Summit Entertainment's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack dazzles with its crisp definition and sonic precision. The track plays in a wide, almost cavernous, soundstage. Music is endlessly rich, naturally spaced, and plays with a heavy but balanced surround element. The track plays just as big even in quieter moments. Dialogue and slight sound effects -- the creaking of a large door, for instance -- as heard in spacious royal halls echo about with startling natural authenticity. General dialogue remains balanced and focused up the middle, even as it, too, plays with a rather big, cinematic flair. Minor but mood-critical ambient effects play in harmony, setting the stage for various scenes by building the listening area up with necessary elements to bring each scene to vivid life. Big sound effects are superb; strong winds and thunder dominate, and the big high-flying aerial action sequence comes alive with heavy cannon fire and even heavier explosions, the soundtrack practically sending splinters of wood and other damaged goods flying throughout the soundstage. For as chaotic as it often may be, everything is in its proper place, whether static center-focused sounds or in-transit and location-specific effects. This is a real treat, the perfect compliment to a beautiful transfer. Both together almost mask the movie's shortcomings, and The Three Musketeers is worth a watch on Blu-ray just for the technical presentation.
The Three Musketeers contains a commentary, featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, and a fabulous PiP experience. Note parts of the
featurettes are repeats from the PiP feature.
The Three Musketeers might look great and sound wonderful, but it's otherwise a dreadful movie. Rather than a legitimate take on the old tale, this is a dumbed-down flick that fails to entertain, preferring fantasy and make-believe and eschewing even a semblance of a plot that audiences could take seriously. There's suspension of disbelief, and then there is just ridiculous. Just because something can be made a spectacle doesn't mean it should. Maybe sixth grade boys will like this movie, but there's far better out there for even slightly more discerning audiences looking for a way to spend their mindless entertainment buck. And for those attracted to the two things this movie does well -- set design and costuming -- there are other alternatives that are just as flashy and serve up a better story to boot. Summit Entertainment's Blu-ray release of The Three Musketeers does offer perfect video and audio to go along with a good array of extras. Nevertheless, just looking pretty isn't enough to recommend this disappointment as anything other than a rental, but do give it at least a rent so as to enjoy Summit's perfect video and audio.
2010
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DVD Packaging
2011
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1995
Collector's Edition
2004
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Les Trois Mousquetaires: D'Artagnan
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