The Musketeers

If you enjoy watching sexy guys engaging in sword fighting, romancing women, cracking a few jokes and battling the enemy - and all of it set within 17th century France - then this is the show for you..

It's a series of stand-alone episodes but with a long-term story arc developing in the background, which finally comes together by the series final. It's not a drama that has complex story lines or anti-heroes and it doesn't stick faithfully to the original book source, which may annoy purists - though all the main characters are present - it's just a 'lighter' drama for those who want to watch something different to the almost constant dark and gritty crime dramas that are common today. It does have a modern twist, with issues such as slavery and women's rights coming up in two episodes and even Constance is a bit of a modern girl at the side of many previous and dull incarnations of the character - and this time she's married, as the books author originally intended. The series also looks gorgeous ( filmed in Prague because parts of the city are untouched by modern buildings, unlike much of Paris today ) with no tacky blue tabards and feathery hats in sight, giving 17th century Paris a realistic feel, with dirty streets and even dirty hair in the case of D'artagnan.

The four main characters are well cast and distinctive from one another in a realistic fashion, from young D'artagnan ( Luke Pasqualino does a good job of bringing warmth and humour but also a little darkness to a character who's often the dullest of the main characters or too boyish for some viewers to take seriously. At 23 years of age, he still makes a young, immature and cocky D'artagnan but one with hints of the handsome man and great Musketeer he will become - important in a potentially long-running series ) to brooding Athos to ladies-man Aramis ( though he has dark aspects to his character as well, crucial to a character who could so easily be 2 dimensional ) to a Porthas who's clearly Porthas but not as cliché or OTT as previous incarnations, making him just as handsome as the other three musketeers. The characters feel a bit darker, three dimensional and more 'real' than some past incarnations.

Peter Capaldie plays a villain who is far from pantomime, very much lingering in the background during the first half of the series and gradually becoming more unstable as the series goes on, as he tries to prevent Queen Anne and others from having too much influence over the good natured but child-like King Louis. Peter does a fine job of portraying a character who's not really a villain in his own mind because he genuinely wants what's best for France. He's even charming before his need for control becomes more dangerous.

There is a lot of violence in the show, which you'd expect with a drama that involves lots of sword fighting, guns & knives but there's no sex scenes ( only bed scenes ) and very little swearing, which means you could watch it with your parents or older children, as long as you were comfortable with the level of violence.

The show isn't perfect - some elements are rushed ( such as how quickly D'artagnan is taken in by the 3 Musketeers as part of their group and the fact that most of the time, D'artagnan seems to be a Musketeer in all but name) some scenes are cliché ( in episode 1, Aramis has to quickly escape his lovers bedroom via the window )and whilst Constance is a likable, fun and strong female character ( even sounding a bit 'modern day' at times ) she becomes attached to D'artagnan quite quickly and it makes her vulnerable in her actions, which might be an issue for some viewers, though it wasn't for me - she's hard on the outside but soft on the inside. D'artagnan's attraction to her is more of a slow burn and this benefits the relationship because their feelings are growing from friendship and respect as well as physical attraction. Whilst Athos and Milady are very much enemies, they still have a lingering attraction, which argubly makes them the sexiest couple on the show.

This is very much a show where the boys rule but there are still good and strong moments for the female characters, a fun show but still with serious and intense moments ( especially as the series goes on, so you need to stick with it for several episodes, as episode 1 is generally regarded as the weakest of the series ) and whether you stick with it largely depends on whether you warm to the show's main characters and are longing for something 'lighter' than the dark dramas of modern times.

Having read all the books a few times over the years I was really looking forward to watching this, what a disappointment. Why do producers and scriptwriters think they can do better than the author? There is plenty of material to explore within the three books. The locations and visual period feel is well done however the dialogue is dire. Captain of the musketeers "you three my office now" about sums it up. The setting is Paris 1620 but the feel is America 2014, modern cops and robbers in drag really. The only good thing is that it has encouraged me to dust the books off and re read them. This is really well done children's television not for anyone who wants to watch some gritty drama with some depth and decent dialogue to give some form of period feel. Too modern for my taste and too simple.

When I first heard of this show, I looked at wikipedia to get the critics reaction, and found many were lukewarm at first but liked the show after awhile. But for me, this was a winner from episode one, a light-hearted, old-fashioned swashbuckler with a brisk pace and a nice sense of humor.

While I read the book, that was probably 40 years ago, and I mainly remember the Richard Lester movie. Based on the first few episodes, I'm a bit disappointed in the two main women; the good one seems rather bland, and the evil one seems rather uncomplex for what I recall was, in the book, a fascinating character. I'm hoping that improves. But overall, lots of fun.

Loved the clobber almost as much as the plots ..nice one !

Comparing books to on screen representations is always tricky; what you see on the page isn't going to be the same as others may. The Musketeers have appeared in so many guises, from Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland camping it up in 1993 (between this and Batman and Robin, it's amazing Chris O'Donnell has continued to do so well), through to the kiddy cartoon 'Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds'. Do a search for a picture of Porthos, and you'll likely find Captain Archers Beagle from Enterprise. They have become a pastiche of themselves, more known for their catch phrase as their actual back stories.

None have really got as close to the original books as this series.

Aramis may be a former priest, who seems able to charm any lady he comes into contact with, but neither of those qualities are over played. Athos is a dark, brooding, level headed father figure in the group. His back story with Milady de Winter becomes apparent quite quickly, and is sure to continue to be a thorn in the side of the Musketeers adventures. Porthos becomes much more real in this series. Still larger than life, still living life with violence and a smile, but with a much broader history and reason for being the way he is. They've fought in wars in the name of the King, and come out with not only the scars but the camaraderie that goes with it. Captain Treville does a great job in keeping them in line.

And D'Artagnan is the country bumpkin. Ruled by his passions, his skill as a Musketeer are evident, but he still need tempering. He has great great chemistry with Constance, who is friend, mummy and potential love interest to him, but like Athos/Milady, that journey will take a while to reach fruition.

This is definitely the best Cardinal. Yes, he's evil. Yes, he plots and schemes to destroy the Musketeers. And, yes, his motivations are driven by more..fiscal..desires. Yet, he's also a lot more believable and watchable for doing so. Not just some one dimensional monster, with a single plan, he even helps the Musketeers at times (for his own benefits, of course). The Musketeers may not like him, but nor can you see them running him through, like they do to many of their other foes.

The sets and costumes are great; from the Musketeers understated leather armour, to the Cardinals pitch black flowing cloak that make him look like a Dr Who baddie (yes, the irony). From the Royal palaces with their sumptuous ceilings, to the hustle of the newly redesigned Paris. It flows. The quality may be film set clean (and there may be the occasional Hollywood explosion), but it all adds to the overall rip roaring adventure, that fits perfectly into the time slot allowed, while the characters and their interplay pulls the stories along at a brisk pace.