“The Three Musketeers,” currently playing at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City, is the umpteenth version of the Alexander Dumas Pere’s novel. Like most of its predecessors, the best parts don’t really fit together. Things are sort of pasted into a film with its bright spots and plodding moments.

D’Artagnan is a country youth out to join the famed three musketeers in the France of Louis XIII. He finds them by accidentally challenging them to duels on the same day. Somehow he works it out.

After they become a foursome their chief foe is Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher Waltz). They battle his troops, young D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) finds love in a saucy lass Constance (Gabriella Wilde, a very pretty face) and Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) makes a deal with the cardinal.

It’s all a lot of sword fighting (possibly the best part of the movie except for Milady’s work with the jewels and in melees).

There’s a visit to Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb where plans for an airship are found amid more battling. The airships later materialize in the form of ship hulls lifted b balloons for epic sky duels and later crashing into the Notre Dame cathedral.

Jovovich sparkles as the devilish Milady, Lerman is a bit lightweight among so many real pros and Waltz is sufficiently evil as the cardinal.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson keeps the action flowing and the special effects are very good, the 3-D medium is unobtrusive and as mentioned the sword fights almost ballet-like.

It’s a PG-13 outing and on a scale of one to nine, maybe a colorful four.
—Sam Bauman

Cast
• Logan Lerman as D’Artagnan
• Milla Jovovich as Milady de Winter
• Matthew Macfadyen as Athos
• Ray Stevenson as Porthos
• Luke Evans as Aramis
• Mads Mikkelsen as Rochefort
• Gabriella Wilde as Constance Bonacieux
• James Corden as Planchet
• Juno Temple as Queen Anne
• Freddie Fox as King Louis XIII
• Til Schweiger as Cagliostro
• Orlando Bloom as Duke of Buckingham
• Christoph Waltz as Cardinal Richelieu

  • Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson
  • Produced by Paul W. S. Anderson, Scott Rudin, Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer, Samuel Hadida, Stephen Margolis
  • Screenplay by Andrew Davies, Alex Litvak
  • Based on The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas père
  • Music by Paul Haslinger
  • Cinematography Glen MacPherson
  • Editing by Alexander Berner Running time 110 minutes [1]