Lavish scenarios , spectacular action , court intrigue and exciting swordplay . Last version based on Alexandre Dumas' classic yarn of intrigue at the 17th century French court . Entertaining and fun version based on the classic Dumas novel with spectacular swordplay in nifty style , this is a modern version of the classic Dumas novel set in 17th Century France . Alexandre Dumas's source for his novel was a book by 19th-century writer Courtils de Sandraz, which was purporting to be D'Artagnan's biography ; the Musketeers were actually real people, not fictional characters created by Dumas . Producer and director Paul W.S. Anderson presents Dumas' exciting story of love and adventure , ¨The three musketeers¨ including a lot of computer especial effects , anachronisms and overwhelming aerial scenes . For this plenty FX rendition is adapted in the greatest splendor , the complete romance , the historical characters, the full novel by Alexandre Dumas though including important changes . It is packed with comedy , derring-do , intrigue , a love story , action , drama and moving swordplay . An awesome casting and big-budgeted production shot in Bavarian Studios and location make for a fairly amusement swashbuckler . This is the recent recounting of the Dumas's novel with a fine cast headed by handsome Logan Lerman as hot-headed D'Artagnan in a brave role as a young and handsome soldier of fortune , a dashing , audacious lover and nimble athlete . They must defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war. At the beginning of the movie, the map of Europe shows several states and kingdoms of that era . This delightful adaptation based on Alexandre Dumas classic novel starts with the youngster D'Artagnan who arrives in Paris to find Mister Treville , chief of Musketeers. But he meets with three two-fisted Musketeers , rollicking adventurers , fighting to live and living to love . DÁrtagnan to be aware they are Musketeers and is invited to unite them in their objective to struggle against guards of Cardinal Richelieu well performed by Christopher Waltz and the astute Milady De Winter who is lovely as a jewel, deadly as a dagger the wickedest woman in all Christendom . Meanwhile, D'Artagnan falls in love with a gorgeous young , Constance , Gabriella Wilde , she is a golden-haired beauty entangled in a web of treachery and intrigue. Furthermore , there is developed an intrigue between Luis XIII : Freddie Fox , Queen Anne of Austria : Juno Temple , dazzling as her gilded palace for her, men dared a thousand perils , and Duke of Buckingham , Orlando Bloom ; and of course the nasty Richelieu , as evil as ever . The musketeers join forces for royal vengeance with the shout : ¨One for all and all for one¨. Then , the musketeers whose friendship has become a legend to stir the hearts of men and shouting their slogan set out to help the Queen . Straightforward as well as gallant D'Artagnan and the three musketeers scheme a plan to save her , clashing against a malicious Richelieu .

It's a nice rendition from the immortal novel with pretty budget and breathtaking scenarios . The picture contains rousing action , intrigue , romantic adventure , romance , treachery , mayhem and a lot of fence . Amusing swashbuckling with lavish production , glamorous gowns and luxurious sets . Furthermore , a vein of humour is evident here , though sometimes falling flat . For this movie itself , though , energetic and frantic are the best adjectives you could think of to describe its attraction . Charming but very young and short Logan Lerman , he bounds and leaps , fights , hits and run . Lerman executes athletic feats , moving sword-play and spectacular acrobatics , Logan performed most of the stunts in his films himself . He is accompanied by a good cast as Matthew MacFadden , Luke Evans , Ray Stevenson , Til Schweiger . Furthermore , special mention to Mads Mikkelsen , playing Rochefort, in this movie he wears an eye-patch over the very same left eye that his Le Chiffre character wept blood in Casino Royale (2006).

Adequate and colorful cinematography by Glen MacPherson stunningly showed on the splendorous images being filmed in Munich and German palaces such as Residenz in Würzburg, Lower Franconia, Bavaria . Thrilling as well as evocative musical score by Paul Haslinger , the dance music near the end is appropriate for the time period . Glamorous production design is well reflected on the luxurious interiors and exteriors stunningly filmed . Impressive sets , though many of them made by computer generator , the so called "Ring of fire" crows nest with its 31 cannons was built as a fully working version out of a mass of wood in only fourteen days by a big German company , it is on display in the Babelsberg movie studio film park. The motion picture was professionally realized by Paul W.S. Anderson . This cool filmmaker provided visual style , comedy , fencing , drama , clangorous action in equal proportions .

This classy story is subsequently remade on several versions ,as the MGM classic version in musical style by George Sidney with Gene Kelly , Paul Lukas , Gig Young , Vincent Price , Frank Morgan and Lana Turner as Milady ; 1973 amusing version by Richard Lester with Michael York, Oliver Reed and Raquel Welch ; 1993 modern adaptation by Stephen Herek with Charlie Sheen , Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Chris O'Donnell, and 2001 rendition by Peter Hyams with Justin Chambers, Mena Suvari and Tim Roth , among others. ¨The three Musketeers¨ is an outstanding and entertaining adaptation of the classy that will appeal to the costumer genre buffs and it results to be acceptable adaptation with big budget based on the classic

To be honest, I was expecting The Three Musketeers to be much worse than it turned out. Is it flawed? Yes, and in a very heavy way. But is it that bad? Personally I don't think so. While there were much better movies this year such as Drive and Tree of Life, there have been much worse such as Spy Kids 4 and Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star.

Starting with The Three Musketeers' problems, it is under-characterised, particularly with Lerman's D'Artagnan. For me, the most interesting character was Richelieu. The writing is often very cheesy and anachronistic, with Lerman and Bloom getting the worst of it, though there are some nice snappy moments too with McFadyen, Mikelssen and Waltz.

The story is a wonderful one, and is well paced generally, however I would have liked more with D'Artagnan and the three musketeers.However, I do think the film looks fantastic. The costumes are beautiful, the Bavarian scenery is stunning and the cinematography is appropriately skillful. The music is suitably rousing and energetic, the direction was decent and the swordplay and stunts are fun and terrifically paced.

In regards to the acting, it was generally good. Logan Lerman is handsome and charming if rather flat, likewise with Freddie Fox. Orlando Bloom and Milla Jovovich didn't blow me over I admit, however they were both much better than anticipated.

When I first heard of Bloom as Buckingham to me it screamed of disaster, that said he was much less painful than I thought, his dialogue was bad but the performance was okay relying less on the all-looks gimmick. Jovovich is attractive and suitably cunning though I would've liked more of a haunting quality to Milady.

On the other hand, Matthew MacFadyen is perhaps the coolest Athos I've seen and James Corden is suitably oafish as Planchet. Luke Evans and Ray Stevenson give good support as Aramis and Porthos. The two best actors were Christoph Waltz, who is pitch perfect(as usual) as Richelieu, and Mads Mikelssen as a sinister Rochefort.

All in all, an entertaining if flawed movie. Those looking for a faithful adaptation, even with the references, will be disappointed, those willing to look past this and take it for what it is(like me) will enjoy it. Of the adaptations of the Dumas masterpiece, look no further than the 1973 Richard Lester film for the definitive version, with that said this was good enough to pass an hour and three quarters or so. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Young Logan Lerman who was wonderful in two Percy Jackson movies goes back in time for yet another version of The Three Musketeers. It's not your father and grandfather's Three Musketeers. In fact it's Alexander Dumas out of Jack Sparrow.

A couple of interesting changes from previous more classic film versions. Young D'Artagnan is in fact young which makes his boisterousness a little more understandable. The other three are older men and contemporaries of his father and his father has taught him all the tricks of the dueling trade.

Also young Louis XIII played here by Freddie Fox is young as well which he was when he inherited the throne from his father. He was a rather bumptious youth himself and he finds something of a kindred spirit in Lerman. But his education has been sadly neglected in the department of romance and no wonder is Queen finds the charms of the English Prime Minister the Duke of Buckingham so inviting. The Duke by the way is played by Orlando Bloom with rakish mustache and whiskers and charm to boot.

But you got to love those airships over a 150 years before those other French brothers the Mongolfiers invented lighter than air travel. The French them, the British have them and God only knows in the next Captain Jack Sparrow film, maybe Johnny Depp will be piloting one himself.

I'm normally not into bowdlerizing classics, but this version of The Three Musketeers has a certain charm to it. Logan Lerman plays D'Artagnan a whole lot like Percy Jackson and since I liked those films it's all to the good.