The Three Musketeers
Saw the movie yesterday with my BB.
1. Trailers:
Most of them were trailers I'd already seen, disappointingly. However! There was the awesome RDJ Sherlock Holmes 2 trailer that I hadn't seen yet, which was mind-meltingly amazing and used the same epic trailer music they'd used for the first RDJ Sherlock Holmes movie.
Sweeeeeeeet.
2. Cinematography:
I went to a 2D showing but I could tell that the movie would actually look really really good in 3D. There was a depth of feel to everything, especially the flying map sequences, that I'll bet would just look breathtaking in three dimensions.
And it should probably go without saying that everything was ridiculously pretty.
3. Music:
Composer was not someone I've heard of before, but someone I'd like to hear more of now, as his score was quite excellent. I really really want this movie's soundtrack.
4. Characters:
AHSLFKAJLSFKAFS AWESOME KICKASS ACTION GIRLS BEING AWESOME IN FULL PERIOD DRESS!
Milady De Winter, aforementioned Full Period Dress Action Girl, was my favorite of the bunch. Yes, she's a manipulative scheming double-crossing villainess but she was FABULOUS AND FLAWLESS. Sliding down a booby-trapped hallway, dress pillowing behind her... sword-fighting a half-dozen professional trained Musketeers at once... infiltrating the Queen's room like a Mission Impossible heroine... oh my gosh and I WANT HER HAIR AND HER DRESSES AND SHE IS AMAZING FOREVER.
But let's not forget the other Ladies of the film, the Queen and Constance. I loved both of them too. The Queen was just so sweet and gentle and kind but still very authoritative, and sees right through the evil Cardinal's bullshit. Constance was admittedly a bit stock as a character but I did love her snark and prickly banter with D'Artagnan, and her willingness to do whatever it takes to protect her Queen's honor. Also, I need fic and fanart of her going around in D'Artagnan's fancy men's hats and clothes, being awesome. MAKE IT HAPPEN INTERNET.
Athos, Porthos, and Aramis had great chemistry together, three distinct personalities that meshed well. Athos, the hard-edge bitter cynical one. Porthos, the fun-loving boisterous bruiser. And Aramis, the stoic studious one. Would have liked a little more of them in the climax-they kind of seemed to hide back-screen for a bit there-but what we did see of them was good.
Logan Lerman as D'Artagnan was loveably arrogant and jerkish. And cute. And that's all I really have to say about him.
Cardinal Richelieu was nicely oily. Orlando Bloom's Duke Buckingham was foppish and silly and hard to take seriously as a villain sometimes but tremendously entertaining to watch nonetheless. Rochefort was... there. The King was childishly bratty but had an earnest Woobie heart that made me "Aww." a few times. Spengler (AKA Comic Relief Guy) was pretty funny actually, not too overbearing or annoying at all.
5. The Story:
First twenty minutes was bombastic good fun with the Three Musketeers plus Milady and made me want lots of fanfic about their zany adventures together. Then the movie became the D'Artagnan show for a while, though not to its detriment, as we only followed him long enough to meet and reunite the Musketeers again.
The action sequences were well-coreographed and immensely fun to watch.
The story, surprisingly, followed the basic plot arc of the book reasonably well. D'Artagnan had his side-romance with Constance, he got into it with all three Musketeers who then had to drop their quarrel and fight the Cardinal's guards, Milady got the Cardinal to give her a letter of pardon that became an important plot point later, the whole "protect the Queen's honor from the scandal of an affair" arc was intact, Milady's suicidal leap from a great height (though in a sequel tease they revealed she actually survived and this once again makes me desire fic of Milady and Athos's reconciliation and return to being Battle Couple together)...
BUT IT HAD AIRSHIPS. AND NINJA WOMEN BEING AWESOME. AND SNARKY ANACHRONISTIC BANTER. It was like a steampunk anime version of the story. Which was cool.
Final battle left a slight bit to be desired. I can't quite put my finger on what was missing. I just sensed what other people had felt about the second half of the movie and I guess wasn't quite having as much fun as I'd been having earlier. I was still having a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, and I'm really glad the final swordfight with Rochefort and D'Artagnan was difficult, with D'Artagnan getting plenty of cuts and gashes and having a hard time of it. I still kinda wish the Trio would have been a little more prominent in the climax.
Conclusion:
Ridiculously good fun. Nothing too Oscar-worthy, obviously, but I was immensely entertained, and cooed over pretty dresses, and laughed, and made comments to my BB about how much I loved Milady, and just had a really good time.
...I want a sequel. And fic. Please make one of these happen, Universe.
1. Trailers:
Most of them were trailers I'd already seen, disappointingly. However! There was the awesome RDJ Sherlock Holmes 2 trailer that I hadn't seen yet, which was mind-meltingly amazing and used the same epic trailer music they'd used for the first RDJ Sherlock Holmes movie.
Click to viewSweeeeeeeet.
2. Cinematography:
I went to a 2D showing but I could tell that the movie would actually look really really good in 3D. There was a depth of feel to everything, especially the flying map sequences, that I'll bet would just look breathtaking in three dimensions.
And it should probably go without saying that everything was ridiculously pretty.
3. Music:
Composer was not someone I've heard of before, but someone I'd like to hear more of now, as his score was quite excellent. I really really want this movie's soundtrack.
4. Characters:
AHSLFKAJLSFKAFS AWESOME KICKASS ACTION GIRLS BEING AWESOME IN FULL PERIOD DRESS!
Milady De Winter, aforementioned Full Period Dress Action Girl, was my favorite of the bunch. Yes, she's a manipulative scheming double-crossing villainess but she was FABULOUS AND FLAWLESS. Sliding down a booby-trapped hallway, dress pillowing behind her... sword-fighting a half-dozen professional trained Musketeers at once... infiltrating the Queen's room like a Mission Impossible heroine... oh my gosh and I WANT HER HAIR AND HER DRESSES AND SHE IS AMAZING FOREVER.
But let's not forget the other Ladies of the film, the Queen and Constance. I loved both of them too. The Queen was just so sweet and gentle and kind but still very authoritative, and sees right through the evil Cardinal's bullshit. Constance was admittedly a bit stock as a character but I did love her snark and prickly banter with D'Artagnan, and her willingness to do whatever it takes to protect her Queen's honor. Also, I need fic and fanart of her going around in D'Artagnan's fancy men's hats and clothes, being awesome. MAKE IT HAPPEN INTERNET.
Athos, Porthos, and Aramis had great chemistry together, three distinct personalities that meshed well. Athos, the hard-edge bitter cynical one. Porthos, the fun-loving boisterous bruiser. And Aramis, the stoic studious one. Would have liked a little more of them in the climax-they kind of seemed to hide back-screen for a bit there-but what we did see of them was good.
Logan Lerman as D'Artagnan was loveably arrogant and jerkish. And cute. And that's all I really have to say about him.
Cardinal Richelieu was nicely oily. Orlando Bloom's Duke Buckingham was foppish and silly and hard to take seriously as a villain sometimes but tremendously entertaining to watch nonetheless. Rochefort was... there. The King was childishly bratty but had an earnest Woobie heart that made me "Aww." a few times. Spengler (AKA Comic Relief Guy) was pretty funny actually, not too overbearing or annoying at all.
5. The Story:
First twenty minutes was bombastic good fun with the Three Musketeers plus Milady and made me want lots of fanfic about their zany adventures together. Then the movie became the D'Artagnan show for a while, though not to its detriment, as we only followed him long enough to meet and reunite the Musketeers again.
The action sequences were well-coreographed and immensely fun to watch.
The story, surprisingly, followed the basic plot arc of the book reasonably well. D'Artagnan had his side-romance with Constance, he got into it with all three Musketeers who then had to drop their quarrel and fight the Cardinal's guards, Milady got the Cardinal to give her a letter of pardon that became an important plot point later, the whole "protect the Queen's honor from the scandal of an affair" arc was intact, Milady's suicidal leap from a great height (though in a sequel tease they revealed she actually survived and this once again makes me desire fic of Milady and Athos's reconciliation and return to being Battle Couple together)...
BUT IT HAD AIRSHIPS. AND NINJA WOMEN BEING AWESOME. AND SNARKY ANACHRONISTIC BANTER. It was like a steampunk anime version of the story. Which was cool.
Final battle left a slight bit to be desired. I can't quite put my finger on what was missing. I just sensed what other people had felt about the second half of the movie and I guess wasn't quite having as much fun as I'd been having earlier. I was still having a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, and I'm really glad the final swordfight with Rochefort and D'Artagnan was difficult, with D'Artagnan getting plenty of cuts and gashes and having a hard time of it. I still kinda wish the Trio would have been a little more prominent in the climax.
Conclusion:
Ridiculously good fun. Nothing too Oscar-worthy, obviously, but I was immensely entertained, and cooed over pretty dresses, and laughed, and made comments to my BB about how much I loved Milady, and just had a really good time.
...I want a sequel. And fic. Please make one of these happen, Universe.