Os Três Mosqueteiros: Milady

It could almost be called "Two Musketeers and Eva", because everything revolves around D'Artagnan and his efforts to save his beloved and then Athos (a magnificent Vincent Cassel) and his "skeleton in the closet"; the other two are neither interesting nor essential to the plot at all, apart from their awkward jokes at the end. The enchantment of the flawless production design, as in the 1st episode, stayed with me here though, the guys are properly dirty again, it has a fine unpolished patina of the 17th century, beautiful cinematography, beautiful castles, but I, having been bitten by Richard Lester's version and a pretty decent overview of the content of Dumas' novel, was surprised by the sidelining of Richelieu and unpleasantly shocked by how the political correctness pushed on me left an unpleasant aftertaste. I am referring to the character of the black prince Hannibal, who always appears at the right moment and helps the Musketeers out of their predicament with his selfless intervention. Dumas, who never once mentioned this character in his novels, must have been spinning like a propeller in a blender, but mostly it was given to the current quota, and now that I mention it, a person who has never addressed the woke agenda in films, that's really saying something. Sometimes you really don't need to push so hard, filmmakers. PS: The ending in the burning building is spectacular, but too "Hollywood" for me. (11/09/2024)

Water in the first one, and now fire. Milady on fire, literally. Eva Green breathed even more tragedy into this character and further liberated her from the corset of the “villain” formula that we know from the classic Musketeer movies. Thanks to that, the canonical moments of the story are truly strong in the ending and Milady gives new energy to the seemingly unproblematic character of D'Artagnan (not to mention Athos, of course). Bourboulon utilises the same positive aspects as in the first film, i.e. a strong start, excellent action and dark urgency, which is cleverly disrupted by Portos and Aramis and their front-line wedding special. This time, the better-constructed climax also works. There is a certain amount of embarrassment (again) from some of the rickety donkey bridges and the somewhat enigmatic motivations for the chosen plot twists in the political storyline. Like Milady, Richelieu likably gains new dimensions to his villainy in this version. Incidentally, I am the last person who would criticise characters of a different skin colour in an adaptation of a Creole author’s work, but the “black prince” comes across a bit like the Poochie character in The Simpsons. I’m especially looking forward to the third part of this, the best Dumas adaptation! (21/12/2023)

I enjoyed the first episode more unfortunately. It's very nicely shot (the cinematography is breathtaking), the actors play perfectly, and there is less action, but when it comes to it is again very good. However, since I didn't remember the first part much, I got lost in the plot, it seemed to me too convoluted and because of that, I couldn't fully immerse myself in the film. Maybe I'll give it a second chance when it comes out online, but I just don't feel like giving it 4 stars, even it meets the parameters of a 4-star film. 6/10. (02/01/2024)

I enjoyed Eva Green in the corset more, but otherwise I enjoyed everything else less. The first one was better. Still top-notch production values, big-movie ambitions and the right dynamics and visuals, but the second part doesn't stand out in any significant way and only serves as a necessary bridge for the finale. Sort of like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a good second part, necessary for the great first and third. (28/04/2024)

The Three Musketeers: Manipulady. Sweet talk and a corset filled to the brim move through the history of France, but from somewhere around the middle, I found myself more interested in Bolduc’s aerial stunts and the skill of putting the audience in the center of the action with minimal cuts. And maybe even Cassel’s bouquet, or if you prefer, his charisma-characteristic aroma, which masks the aftertaste of François Civil's whiny d’Artagnan. (21/05/2024)