The Three Musketeers based on the 1844 Alexandre Dumas novel, has long been a Hollywood favorite. There are over twenty adaptations of the story, including The Three Musketeers starring Douglas Fairbanks, Disney’s The Three Musketeers and The Musketeer, which added Asian fighting to the mix. Now, Paul W. S. Anderson, the man behind Event Horizon, and Resident Evil, has brought us yet another update, The Three Musketeers, that has the trio trying to stop a war between England and France. The story is laughable and the acting forgettable, but the film’s playful tone just might make it worth looking at on a rainy Saturday night.

After being betrayed by Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) during a mission to retrieve some secret plans, Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and Aramis (Luke Evans), the three musketeers, are forced to disband by Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz). Despite being Athos’s lover, Milady’s loyalty lies with the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom). Richelieu wanted to have the boys killed because they stole airship blueprints drawn by Leonardo da Vinci, but France’s King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox) and Queen Anne (Juno Temple) decided to allow the three musketeers to once again defend France. Soon, the naïve, young country boy D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman), arrives, managing to run afoul of almost everyone in the kingdom. Despite their misgivings, the musketeers are eventually forced to join forces with D’Artagnan to defend their country and the honor of Queen Anne.

Three MusketeersConflict arises when Queen Anne is framed for an invented affair with the Duke of Buckingham, who represents England and France. Naturally, if such an allegation proved true, King Louis would declare war on France. The musketeers are sent to put a stop to the lie, but encounter resistance from the Cardinal’s henchman Capt. Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen), who runs an armored airship. The airships make for some entertaining aerial sequences, in what is an otherwise fairly dull story. Of course, the use of the airships is a historical embellishment as only Hollywood could do it, but since visual effects are used to create entire cities anyway, why not?

While the cast are clearly enjoying themselves, none of them brings anything special to the table. Christoph Waltz, who clearly revels in being the bad guy, plays a version of his Inglorious Basterds character, while all three of the musketeers are too thinly developed to standout. Milla Jovovich may be a mandatory inclusion for husband Anderson, and while she looks good, I can’t help but think she seems a little bored. In the end, there’s nothing terribly wrong with this version of The Three Musketeers, but there’s really nothing to recommend it, either.

Presented in 2.35:1, Summit Entertainment’s 1080p transfer is great. Color accuracy is spot on, and black levels are deep, inky and consistent throughout. Action scenes come through with impressive clarity; aliasing isn’t an issue, compression artifacting is nonexistent. This transfer is top notch.

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound mix is a solid one; expansive without being too busy, this lossless presentation of The Three Musketeer‘s audio design sports dazzling dialogue quality, and a wonderful surround presence.

A Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix is included, as are English SDH and Spanish subtitles.

The following special features are available:

  • Audio Commentary: Director/Producer Paul W.S. Anderson and Producers Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer, discuss reinventing the story of The Three Musketeers in a post-Matrix world, the numerous digital effects, set design, shooting locales, similarities and differences from the original story, casting the major roles, mixing real and digital locations in the same shots, shooting digitally, and more.
  • Access: Three Musketeers: This picture-in-picture segment provides audiences with “access to cast and crew stories, insider information about the making of the film, and more.” Viewers are treated to a large number of behind-the-scenes features that reference many areas of the filmmaking process, some of which play alongside the film, others of which interrupt it for a nearly full-screen experience. Also included are text-based trivia, interview snippets, and more. With the interrupted segments included, total runtime is 2:21:02.
  • Paul W.S. Anderson’s Musketeers (1080p, 2:29): Cast and crew discuss updating the story.
  • Orlando Bloom Takes on the Duke (1080p, 1:59): A look at Bloom’s role in the film.
  • 17th Century Air Travel (1080p, 2:20): Anderson discusses his preference for shooting with as many practical elements in the frame as possible, with emphasis on constructing the aerial warships.
  • Uncovering France in Germany (1080p, 2:14): The benefits of shooting in Bavaria.
  • Deleted & Extended Scenes (1080p, 14:18): Where’s the Key?, Catching You, Entering Da Vinci’s Vault, Chess Game, Queen Anne Disputes the Cardinal, Buckingham’s Arrival, Buckingham and Cardinal in the War Room, Queen Anne and Constance, Planchet and the Horse, Tower of London, The Musketeers of the Airship, and D’Artagnan and Rochefort Fight.