“The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan”, Dumas in the rhythm of a heart attack

Since Fred Niblo filmed the first raid of The Three Musketeers in 1921, a novel published by Alexandre Dumas in 1844 (before it was serialized the same year), cinema and television have remained faithful to the theme with nearly fifty adaptations. The adventures experienced in the seventeenth century by the Gascon D’Artagnan during the reign of Louis XIV, together with his companions Athos, Porthos and Aramis, find great strength in their opponents Milady de Winter and the intriguing Richelieu. The new version by director Martin Bourboulon, a success in France, proves two things: old classics never die and the historical adventure genre (here in the Schwaler variant) is not a corpse. Just give them a smart facelift while you watch the show.

Those who prefer original cinema should go to the next room; but, if you want to let your hair down and even commit the sacrilege of popping popcorn in an armchair, play dumb, hang your prejudices on a hanger and accept this optimum come and see.

Basically faithful to the original, the film avoids the temporary indigestible black pudding, despite taking some licenses. This is an old-fashioned blockbuster. Its meticulous artistic recreation stands out, with the scrupulousness that characterizes French cinematography with a historical atmosphere obscured by the splendid monumental heritage of the 17th and 18th centuries, with spaces that are very grateful to the camera. The academic tone chosen by Bourboulon is also on point, except for the action sequences and the need to rock the steadycam to look visually up-to-date. He moves at a heartbreaking pace, although he tries to dress the characters in such a way as to give them body and avoid caricature. There is no shortage of political, religious, sentimental and sometimes shameless spice.

As for the plot, almost everything is in line with the spirit of Dumas, except for some omissions and the obligation to adapt the footage to a standard format. For the record, they shot between the summers of 2021 and 2022, along with its sequel, The Three Flycatchers: Milady, which will be released in December. Nevertheless, the genre film is very much alive.