I'm a huge fan of Dumas and The Three Musketeers is one of my favorite books. I have been watching various adaptations for years hoping one of them will finally get it right. I was particularly hopeful about this one - I thought if anyone can do it justice it should be the French.
For an adaptation of classic novel to be good it must be faithful to the original source material and not make unnecessary alterations to the plot.
It must also adequately capture the atmosphere of the time period, the main theme and the essence of the book - which to me was honor, loyalty and friendship.
Another very important requirement is proper character development. And for that to truly work the actors should look like the characters as described in the book and be approximately the same age (or at least look that age).
In terms of casting - I'd give this adaptation a 3/10.
I know Vincent Casel is a good actor but he is 57 years old!!! He could have played another character. Why did they cast him as Athos? Athos is supposed to be 27-29 and very handsome (I know this is highly subjective but still).
The actor playing Aramis is also 50 when he should be 22-23. He is not attractive or charming either and Aramis is supposed to be the best looking one of the bunch (at least most other adaptations get this right).
For some reason everyone loves Eva Green - she maybe great in other movies but I don't like her as Milady at all. Milady is supposed to be intoxicatingly beautiful and blonde. This actress has jet black hair and is rather plain looking. I have no idea why the director made her smoke a pipe - this just makes her look like a cartoon villain.
They also made Porthos bisexual. Think of that what you will - I personally find if ridiculous.
If that wasn't enough to disappoint all hard core fans of the book - the plot has been drastically changed.
It's annoying because they have kept some parts very close to the book and created this illusion of authenticity. The cinematography is cool looking and the setting has a realistic feel. I like that it is not a slapstick comedy like some of the other adaptation attempts. That being said - the camera angles are a bit weird. They put you in the middle of the duels so you can't get a good feel of what's happening. And the editing is very choppy.
Overall I don't regret watching this film but I can't say that I liked it.
I guess I'll have to wait another 3-5 years until someone attempts to adapt this book again - maybe they will finally get it right.
For an adaptation of classic novel to be good it must be faithful to the original source material and not make unnecessary alterations to the plot.
It must also adequately capture the atmosphere of the time period, the main theme and the essence of the book - which to me was honor, loyalty and friendship.
Another very important requirement is proper character development. And for that to truly work the actors should look like the characters as described in the book and be approximately the same age (or at least look that age).
In terms of casting - I'd give this adaptation a 3/10.
I know Vincent Casel is a good actor but he is 57 years old!!! He could have played another character. Why did they cast him as Athos? Athos is supposed to be 27-29 and very handsome (I know this is highly subjective but still).
The actor playing Aramis is also 50 when he should be 22-23. He is not attractive or charming either and Aramis is supposed to be the best looking one of the bunch (at least most other adaptations get this right).
For some reason everyone loves Eva Green - she maybe great in other movies but I don't like her as Milady at all. Milady is supposed to be intoxicatingly beautiful and blonde. This actress has jet black hair and is rather plain looking. I have no idea why the director made her smoke a pipe - this just makes her look like a cartoon villain.
They also made Porthos bisexual. Think of that what you will - I personally find if ridiculous.
If that wasn't enough to disappoint all hard core fans of the book - the plot has been drastically changed.
It's annoying because they have kept some parts very close to the book and created this illusion of authenticity. The cinematography is cool looking and the setting has a realistic feel. I like that it is not a slapstick comedy like some of the other adaptation attempts. That being said - the camera angles are a bit weird. They put you in the middle of the duels so you can't get a good feel of what's happening. And the editing is very choppy.
Overall I don't regret watching this film but I can't say that I liked it.
I guess I'll have to wait another 3-5 years until someone attempts to adapt this book again - maybe they will finally get it right.