28 October 2011

Three Musketeers (in 3D!)

I wanted to see this movie ever since I saw it listed as "pre-production" on Logan Lehrman's IMDB page.  And wanted to see it more once I found out Christoph Waltz and Mads Mikkelsen were also attached.  And Matthew MacFadayen.

Then I saw a preview - good costumes, explosions, sword fighting...I am so in!

I checked out Rotten Tomatoes before we bought tickets and was disappointed to see that it has a 32% or something like that...aka pretty rotten.  Hmmmm...but I said I would be happy as long as there was some seriously kick-ass fancy swordwork and costumes.  We (aka mediazombie and I) went to a 7pm 3D showing because the 2D were at 5pm and 950pm (or something like that...seriously?) - my first "real" 3D movie experience because post-processed 3D usually makes me hurl.

And did I like The Three Musketeers?  Oh, hellz yes I did.  It was so much fun.  Logan Lehrman really does capture that "I am totally a big fish in the little pond of Gascony" attitude AND he does some great stuntwork in his two major swordfighting scenes.  The Three Musketeers (Matthew MacFadayen, Ray Stevenson, and Luke Evans) all bring different shades to their characters.  Christoph Waltz as Richelieu is a scary, scary man - would he stab you in the front or the back, do you think?  Orlando Bloom was great, really having fun playing a man who thinks he is an evil mastermind but really comes off as a greasy, 1920s, moustache-twirling, silent movie villain - absolutely hysterical.  Even smaller parts like Anne of Austria, Queen of France (Juno Temple), had some depth.  Milla Jovovitch was quite good as Milady, although sometimes the wire-work seemed a leeetle bit over the top, but I loved her exaggerated femininity and helpless-looking gestures.

As for the 3D - there wasn't much "stuff is coming at me!" nonsense and I liked that.  I really liked the 3D effects on those shots with great depth-of-field, so most of the exterior work looked great, as well as some great opening credits.  Loved some of the sets - especially those interior shots supposedly at the Royal Palace (did they shoot at one of the Palaces? If they didn't, and reconstructed parts of the Louvre, then the set designer gets some serious props).  Good costumes, too.  This movie was seriously "Go big or go home" - they went big.  It was great.

I totally want to see this again in the theatre - if Jackie wants to go, I'm all in!

Preview goodness:
pre-1.  Hugo - not a preview per se, more like an ad before the previews, but I'm including it because Scorsese gave some sound bites and there were plently of shots from the movie in it
1.  Tower Heist - heist comedy with Ben Stiller masterminding a group of buddies (?) trying to get back at a Bernie Madoff-type guy (Alan Alda); with Matthew Broderick and Eddie Murphy; hope this is good because Eddie needs a good flick
2.  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - this is so full of win, I don't know what to say - CAN'T WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER!!
3.  The Darkest Hour - yet another "put a group of pretty people together and they will *SURPRISE!* figure out how the world is ending" movie; only the pretty Americans are in Russia...and the only ones NOT to get exploded by wierd energy aliens in some Russian rave bar; we had to put our 3D glasses on for this preview and it was so NOT impressive (totally looks like a Roland Emmerich film but it's not)
4.  The Adventures of Tintin - Spielberg, meh; not interested in this one plus that life-like animation creeps me out
5.  Star Wars in 3D, starting with The Phantom Menace - oh, HELLZ NO!!  Please, God/George Lucas, let me enjoy Episodes IV - VI in peace without any updates, blu-ray, digitization, aka CRAP.  Stop robbing my childhood.

1 comment:

  1. I've wanted to see this as soon as the cast was announced but I wasn't sure if it was worth paying to see it in theater. (especially at NY prices) but I trust your judgement so I might splurge this weekend and see it!

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