The Return of the Musketeers

Most of the surviving characters are back, and the team of Lester and scripter George Macdonald Fraser (the Flashman books) is still capable of hitting a few out of the park. But this film seems, like the musketeers themselves, older and more tired. The jokes aren't quite as zingy, the action not quite as inventive, the score not as propulsive, and the scheming Cardinal Mazarin is no match for Charlton Heston's masterful Richelieu. But "Return" is still a hundred times better than the norm for this genre. Cattrall's villainess is one of the great cinematic female swashbucklers (she could give Xena a run for her dinars), and the film is mainly successful as a rollicking adventure, although the complicated court intrigue is not a very engaging plotline to those not familiar with the French politics of the time. Sadly, it was Roy Kinnear's last movie (he died in a riding accident during filming, and there are some awkward scenes that were shot around his absence), which casts a pall around the project and Lester's normal joie de vivre. But I still rate this highly, and recommend it (now that the price has been lowered). (But why the "R" rating? There is nothing worse in this than in the original films.)


Enteraining Film But Not Near as Good as the First Two   January 28, 2002
K.H.
18 out of 22 found this review helpful

This is the third installment of the Richard Lester Musketeer's films. Based largely of Dumas' "Twenty Years Later," Lester was able to gather the original cast like Michael York, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay, and Christopher Lee to name a few. Chamberlain also is in the film and new additions are C. Thomas Howell and Kim Catrall.

York and Reed give strong performances. Finlay is again in great form as well as is Christopher Lee. Howell and Catrall give fine performances but lack the same chemistry as the original cast.

Lester still loves the action-slapstick comedy routine and for the most part it works, but on a lesser scale than the first two. The fight scenes are delivered well enough but this film never gives the same great action/romantic adventure as the others and therefore waarents a three stars. It is good enough to watch once, but unlike the first two, which can be viewed over and over again, never beckens the viewer to return to this movie.


Pleasant Surprise!   November 19, 2000
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

Surprisingly faithful depiction of Dumas' "Twenty Years After." Kim Kattrall provides a very formidable enemy for the reunited Musketeers, while the film itself provides an excellent excuse to bring back the original cast of director Richard Lester's Musketeer movies from the 1970s.

Much of the same energy from these previous films is in this one. There are a few odd moments, and some of the changes from Dumas' original story-line are a bit irritating. But for the most part, Lester hasn't lost in this film his ability to portray slapstick swashbuckle, or his ability for showing how any given situation can evolve to the comically surreal.

Among points to note are Geraldine Chaplin's excellent performance as Anne of Austria, and whose appearance in the film seems less the result of a casting director and more the result of a time machine ... she seems untouched by age.

The film is also colored by the fact that Roy Kinnear - who played Planchet - was killed in an accident during filming. There were a couple of scenes that were obviously meant to include him and in which a double was employed, which makes one sad.

While not the best film you'll ever see, it's quite enjoyable for fans of the first two movies. Admittedly, nostalgia plays a role in my opinions of this movie: it was good to see THIS particular cast once more portray the Four Musketeers.


Great Entertainment   March 4, 2001
JRJ (Modesto,Ca Usa)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

The Return of the Musketeers is the fourth remake of the Alexandre Dumas novel "The Twenty Years After.(A Russian and Italian version stayed closer to the original novel Milady had a son Mordaunt nee John Francis de Winter.The French made a 1955 version which like this version changed Milady's son into a daughter.This is a great follow-up to The Three and Four Musketeers.Being that Faye Dunaway was killed off in the Four Musketeers.Kim Cattrall is excellent as a foil for the Musketeers as Milady and Rochefort's illegitimate daughter after the Four Musketeers for having her mother executed (rightfully,so.).The acting,sets and costumery are great.It's a shame that Oliver Reed and Roy Kinnear are now deceased they could have been back for a fourth film based on the Musketeers final years-The Man in the Iron Mask.A great trilogy if there ever was one.At least the Russians filmed the 3 works.