The Three Musketeers (1986)

Memorable, crazy movie

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is not your run of the mill version of The Three Musketeers! What did the producer and director want to achieve? To introduce the classic novel to a young teenage audience(13-17)and tell it in a way that hasn't been done before. And if the movie sparks an interest in the source material, then the objective has been achieved. So is this the greatest adaption ever made? No, but it should spark some interest! The basic plot line is kept intact, but the entire introduction of D'Artagnan has been cut. That certainly helped to speed things up in a movie that doesn't even run one hour in length! The story generally involves romance(here only hinted at), lots of swordplay(very little this time), court intrigue and power struggles(both in evidence). Novelty ideas include Milady as Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations fame! The characters speaking to the audience, as in the Bob Hope, Bing Crosby Road movies. Add to that an artsy ballet sequence, not unlike what was done to the 1950's French version of the Little Matchgirl. If you really like the novel and have watched many of the film versions, this one is so different that you might just want to watch it twice! It has the makings of being very repeatable. On the negative side, D'Artagnan comes off as a cardboard character. The one who really shines is Milady! The women in this animated tale actually have good roles which is in direct opposition of so many male dominated classics! Their costumes are a real plus! Not really much humor, with the exception of the King, who is supposed to provide some laughs. The stylistic art work is not too elaborate, not too simple. It works. The music creates the proper mood. As for the ending, ... a bit too abrupt.

Just for the record I do like Burbank Films Australia animations. Wind in the Willows and Peter Pan especially of the ones I've seen on my "low-budget-animation-re-visiting" phase are wonderful. I wanted to like The Three Musketeers, I really did. Before I say why I didn't like this much, I was not expecting it to be a to-the-letter adaptation of the Dumas classic, seeing as there are adult themes of sex, adultery and murder in the book, and that this is 49-50 minutes and low-budget. But I was expecting it to be decent enough on its own terms. Sadly I didn't think it was. I just didn't care for the characters, the three musketeers themselves are actually very enjoyable, charismatic and fun and other than the rousing music are the redeeming values of this adaptation of The Three Musketeers. But I cannot say the same for Constance and D'Artagnan. Constance is pretty useless here, and incredibly vapid, while D'Artagnan doesn't seem to have any flaws at all. Duke of Buckingham and Milady don't fare much better, okay I was not expecting Milady to be completely haunting and seductive, but she could've been much sexier instead of a slightly prettier clone of for example Cruella DeVil. The animation is lacking here, Wind in the Willows and Peter Pan had colourful backgrounds especially, but everything here looks too sketchy with the colours lacking vibrancy. The script feels childish and lacking in wit and the story feels rushed.(and for anybody wondering how much resemblance it bears to the story, just in case you are fussy about changes- I actually try not to be- pretty much only the title and characters' names are intact) The ballet sequence was unneeded to me, it does nothing to enhance the story and the animation here actually looks little more than a rough sketch. The voice acting didn't enthuse me either, especially Constance whose voice is annoyingly high-pitched. In a nutshell, at least the Musketeers and music were enjoyable. Sadly, when it comes to enjoyment, this entry from Burbank Films Australia ends there. 2/10 Bethany Cox