Os Três Mosqueteiros: Milady

Plenty of positives including an exceptional cast (with the exception of Constance), the cinematography was mostly good (a few scenes a little too dark) , most of the scenes were well paced and costumes looked authentic.

However, the story seemed a lot more disjointed than the first movie and it didnt seem like there was enough time for character building (maybe we get spoilt with the amount of time series have but with 3 movies it felt like more could have been achieved). The worst part however, was the sudden revelation of super female fighters able to compete if not better the supposed best male sword fighters in the country....

The story was frustrating enough that i feel the need to re read the book after 20 plus years as im sure i remember it being a lot more coherent than this movie !

Well.. Since watching the first installment I really looked forward to this. The first one was everything I could ask for from a classic swashbuckling adventure.

However, this left me with a kind of unsatisfying feeling but there were a lot of positives too.

The scenery and atmosphere and general is great. Everything I could ask for. And Eva Green.. What an actress she is.. I know she usually plays mysterious villains but still. She's just good.

In general I enjoyed the acting as well. Maybe not great from everyone but the characters were ok.

But then the plot and the climax.. I still don't know what was really going on and from what I've read I am not alone in that. I believe they changed a lot from the book as well which messed it up more than it should have (never read it but I will).

I will watch it again some day though to maybe get a better understanding and possibly after reading the book to at least know the core of the story a bit better.

Still watchable but could have been better.

The new French adaptation of The Three Musketeers is disappointingly soulless. The characters are given little to no time to develop, and the plot is riddled with strange holes. The film's attempt at a modern, gritty atmosphere feels out of place, and the movies pale in comparison to Lester's classic masterpieces. Even the light-hearted BBC series and the campy airship film version were more enjoyable.

Even after being disappointed by some early production photos (particularly the costuming), I was hoping that Eva Green might save the movies. However, the director failed to draw out much more from her than an evil grin and the occasional leer (the writing didn't really give her a chance to shine).

There were a few clever plot changes that had the potential to make the movie different from earlier interpretations, but the lack of clear plot development undermined them. It seemed as though some scenes were either left unfilmed or were cut from the final version, which disrupted the overall flow of the story.

The film's biggest flaw, however, is its lack of character development. The core trio (or quartet) of musketeers never get the chance to interact in a way that shows how and why they are such close friends. Additionally, they never seem to have the time to clean up or behave like the young nobles they are supposed to be (or dress like gentlemen, for that matter).

Part 2 of the current film adaptation is by no means a bad film, thanks to the actors, budget and, of course, the literary source material. Nevertheless, it falls well short of its predecessor, not least because of the high expectations following the first film. What's missing this time? A certain freshness, the haunting presence of the protagonists, their actually indispensable interaction, memorable climaxes. Content now rules here, almost too much for the running time, instead of fun.

Eva Green gives an outstanding performance in her parade role as the femme fatale, this time making the important and correct decision that less is often more.

It starts with flashbacks from "D'Artagnan". For the first three or four minutes they remind us of the intrigue leading up to the assassination attempt on Louis Troisième and then D'Artagnan is knocked unconscious and captured by agents of the king's brother.

The version supplied to me did not have an option for subtitles in any language, but the dialogue was understandable. (My son and I spent a few weeks in France over the summer so we dusted off the French quite a bit.) Also, I have read Dumas' wonderful "Les Trois Mousquetaires" several times so I know the storyline.

As with "D'Artignan", "Milady" took some liberties and did not follow the novel strictly, but the overall plot was the same.

One incongruent moment happened early in the film after D'Artagnan escapes by holding a knife to the throat of the Comte de Chalais, Gaston's henchman. He then asks to be taken to Constance, but when he arrives it is Milady de Winter. He gives her to keys to free herself and they jump into a moat and swim to freedom. Shortly thereafter she tries to seduce him, but the is wearing a very low-cut corset. This would have allowed D'Artagnan to see the fleur branded onto her shoulder. I would think that the producers should have noticed this glaring inconsistency.

In a subsequent tryst with D'Artagnan she again leaves her shoulder exposed but this time he notices the mark and immediately reports it to Athos.

I found it interesting that Louis calls his wife "vous" but his brother, Gaston, "tu". I cannot remember if it was so in the novel.

Just as in D'Artagnan, neither Planchet, Grimaud, Mousqueton, nor Bazin appear in the film. They were major players in Dumas' novel and Planchet saves the day more than once, but they were not even a footnote in this film adaptation.

On the other hand, when D'Artagnan reveals to Captain de Treville that the Compte de Chalais was behind the rebellion, the former's frustration with Treville was faithful to the book.

It had fewer moments of drunken revelry and less comic relief than "D'Artagnan" but the acting was superb. Including by those who played the part of Protestant rebels in the citadel of La Rochelle. And the actor who plays Gaston is as cold as he could possibly be.

I still have trouble with the ages of the actors. In the novel Athos was the oldest of the lot, at 27 or so. Here, none of them appear to be under 27 and Athos looks like he's old enough for medicare.

Overall, the swashbuckling adventures of the musketeers was enjoyable, as was the intrigue. Recommended to those who can put aside their temptation to judge it against the novel.

The ending definitely suggests a sequel.