If we go backwards, there will be about fifty film adaptations of the saga de The Three Musketeersand it’s easy to understand why. Equipped with universal messages concerning the nature of human passions intertwined with the tortuous and obscure course of history and naturally predisposed to an episodic narrative (the novel itself was published in “serials” as was the tradition of the time by Alexandre Dumas), the adventures of the king’s three musketeers and the young Gascon D’Artagnan have always had an irresistible fascination for the history of cinema and this last diptych directed by Martin Bourboulon it wants to be an attempt to restore that imperishable attraction for adventure but also to reflect and think more about today.
A mission, the latter, which was almost totally missing from the very forgettable last attempts at adaptation (think of the obscene 2011 film by Paul WS Anderson or the watered-down Disney version of 1993, or even the scult The Iron Mask, with arguably the worst Leonardo DiCaprio ever). Imposing and all-European production, this new version – divided into films The Three Musketeers – D’Artagnan And The Three Musketeers – Milady (the latter will arrive in December) – right from the very first sequences, he regains possession of that totally cinematographic breath completely absent from the latest plasticky versions, sipping as much as possible and only in the characters who request it, that irony which basically forms the basis for the whole narration (referring to the spirit of the novel).
For the rest, Bourboulon is skilled not only in constructing truly astounding and engaging action sequences, but also – and this is the main merit of his operation – in constructing a constant and not too subtle dialogue with the contemporary (the sequence of the failed attempt on the king, which evokes the ghosts of the Paris attacks in 2015) which never turns into a pedantic admonishment or serious moralism, on the contrary it maintains throughout its duration that light-heartedness typical of swashbuckling tales. In between, everything that made Dumas’s great novel famous: the palace intrigues, the dark plots and the thirst for revenge of the mysterious and fascinating Milady (an Eva Green in excellent shape and ready to take the reins of the next chapter) , a formidable trio of musketeers (Vincent Cassel is an excellent Athos, Pio Marmaï and a Portos for the new generations and Romain Duris seems born for the part of Aramis), plus a D’Artagnan who perhaps doesn’t make too much of the screen but his he is a character written with the right attitude.
Lastly, the packaging is exceptional: the natural sets enhance the broad scope of Bourboulon’s filming, which has a large budget at its disposal (we are talking about 72 million euros for both films) where nothing is wasted or left to chance . The Three Musketeers – D’Artagnan it is the right synthesis between the carefree adventure of classic cinema and the more contemporary look à la Christopher Nolan (complete with music that all too explicitly recalls Hans Zimmer de The dark Knight).