The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 2, 2023

Martin Bourboulon's "The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan" (2023) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Entertainment in Video (EIV). There are no special features on the release. In French, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

All the early information about Martin Bourboulon’s cinematic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel sounded promising. Initially, there were some concerns about the age of the male leads, and perhaps they were justified, but I was not worried. This film looked like a grand project that deserved to have the best male French actors, and my initial impression was that Bourboulon had secured them. The only legitimate substitute that I could come up with was Benoit Magimel, but I am unsure if his presence would have made a substantial difference. The female cast looked less glamorous but still very good. I had some concerns about Eva Green, as she did not seem quite right for her ravishing character, but the potential for a very pleasant surprise was definitely there. So, after I saw Pathe’s promotional trailers, first the short and then the longer one, I thought that Bourboulon was on track to deliver a masterpiece.

I just finished viewing The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan and feel cheated. So much of what the trailers promised is not in the film, I am willing to speculate that someone at Pathe’s publicity department intentionally made them very misleading. I do realize that many trailers frequently promise too much, but this is a different situation. The early trailers for The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan did very particular things to suggest that Bourboulon had crafted an elaborate and authentic cinematic adaptation of Dumas' classic novel, which could also turn out to be a grand spectacle of the kind we have not seen in a very long time. Sadly, I must report that the trailers promoted a film that does not exist.

I will not describe in detail the story that is told in The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan. It has been told many times before, and you already know it. If you are reading this article, it is practically guaranteed that you want to know whether its retelling is accurate.

Unfortunately, it is not. Most of the key events that bring D'Artagnan (Francois Civil), Aramis (Romain Duris), Athos (Vincent Cassel), and Porthos (Pio Marmai) together and then position them in the ongoing intrigues between France and England are there. As in the Duma’s classic novel, Milady de Winter (Green) emerges as their most dangerous opponent, while Cardinal de Richelieu (Eric Ruf) is still a plotting chameleon with visions of grandeur. The romantic relationship between D’Artagnan and Constance Bonacieux (Lyna Khoudri) is preserved as well. Louis XIII (Louis Garrel) is again routinely making terrible decisions. However, there are many big and small embellishments that alter the character profiles, the evolution of the relationships, and even the structure of various events. For example, Dumas spends a lot of time describing how different the musketeers are, the personal demons they frequently confront, and what makes their bond unique. This bond is at the core of the famous story, but Bourboulon dedicates just a few minutes to its formation. D'Artagnan challenges his future friends to a duel, at the chosen location they are attacked and forced to fight for their lives, and a few days later they are already working as a team. Because Dumas' writings were not exciting enough, now there is a new twist, too. Athos casually warns D'Artagnan to be careful if Porthos takes him under his wing because he welcomes women and men to his bed, and sure enough Bourboulon provides visual evidence that the former speaks the truth. Later, after D’Artagnan heads to Buckingham to recover the missing necklace, Bourboulon goes even further and manufactures events to produce excitement that only a contemporary audience would appreciate. The most ridiculous one features a breathtaking acrobatic performance by Milady de Winter.

There are many more spectacular panoramic visuals like the ones that Pathe’s trailers revealed, and they are unquestionably the greatest strength of the film. These are not just outdoor panoramic visuals, either. Many reveal massive period decors and diverse characters wearing outstanding costumes.

The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Entertainment in Video (EIV).

The film is two hours long and is placed on a single-layer disc. However, I must say that it looked wonderful on my system. Quite a few parts of it tend to be darker, so this definitely helps, but the truth is that you will have to look very hard to find some issues to be unhappy with. I even upscaled the film to 4K and thought that the difference between 1080p and 4K was not big. So, delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to excellent. Color reproduction is impressive as well. There is a French 4K Blu-ray release that probably produces some pretty spectacular visuals, but I was very pleased with the way the entire film looked on my system. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. English subtitles are provided but they are forced. This means that they cannot be turned off via the main menu.

The lossless track is excellent. A lot of the action footage has very effective surround movement and clarity, sharpness, and depth are outstanding. In other words, it is very, very easy to tell that the film has a carefully mixed, contemporary soundtrack. However, I found the English subtitles quite frustrating. They are so small that in quite a few areas with bright light are impossible to read easily.

The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this release.

The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A great French cinematic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel should be an accurate adaptation first, and then everything else. After viewing Pathe's trailers for The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan, I was quite certain that this film would be an accurate adaptation and a feast for the eyes with the potential to be a masterpiece. It has some pretty visuals, but it is essentially a contemporary cinematic reimagination of the great story about the musketeers you would expect to see produced by a Hollywood studio. Given the cast that was assembled for it, I genuinely believe that a massive opportunity was wasted to deliver the definitive cinematic adaptation of Dumas' classic novel.