The Three Musketeers (2011) parents guide

The Three Musketeers (2011) Parent Guide

Much of it, from the obviously computer generated backgrounds and battle sequences to the script full of colloquialisms and contemporary dialogue, feels less than polished.

Overall B

Alexandre Dumas' novel comes to the big screen again (in 3D this time). Parthos (Ray Stevenson) Athos (Matthew Macfadyen) and Aramis (Luke Evans) take a fourth, aspiring musketeer (Logan Lerman) under their wing when they set out to overthrow an evil plot against France and its European neighbors.

Release date October 21, 2011

Violence C+
Sexual Content A-
Profanity B-
Substance Use C+

Why is The Three Musketeers (2011) rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Three Musketeers (2011) PG-13 for sequences of adventure action violence.

Run Time: 111 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Hardly strangers to movie adaptations, Athos, Aramis and Porthos (Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans and Ray Stevenson) are clashing swords in yet another retelling of The Three Musketeers.

During the reign of young King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox) life has become decidedly dull for the trio whose mission is to protect and serve the ruler. The situation is made even more frustrating due to the control that Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) has managed to grasp from his inexperienced leader. With his huge contingent of guards, the church has arguably more control over the state than the monarch. Yet the situation may be the perfect antidote to the job security problems facing the famous three when the Cardinal decides to create a plot of deception between France and Britain.

It takes an ambitious adolescent named D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) to rally the men back into a state of swashbuckling savvy, and it’s just in time. The sultry Milady De Winter (Milla Jovovich) is working with Richelieu to frame the innocent (in a twist from the historic novel) Queen Anne (Juno Temple) as appearing to be having an affair with The Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom). Meanwhile, with war on the horizon, the suave D’Artagnan fills a secondary role by becoming the personal romantic and fashion coach to King Louis who is totally clueless about how to approach Queen Anne, his designated bride-to-be.

This is an ambitious movie full of period costumes and settings. Yet much of it, from the obviously computer generated backgrounds and battle sequences to the script full of colloquialisms and contemporary dialogue, feels less than polished. The lessons provided by D’Artagnan to King Louis could have been cut and pasted from the lines of any television series of teens trading advice in a high school hallway. But perhaps that’s all part of the marketing of this title, which appears to be wooing a pre-adult crowd.

The good news is that families may still find this movie to be a worthwhile choice because contains so little potentially objectionable content. Even with all the swordplay and some gunfire, the only scene that could be considered anywhere near explicit is a single on screen stabbing. Other issues include the three warriors love of wine—lots of wine—and frequent shots of cleavages on various female characters. Profanities are also few.

Sadly not reaching its full potential, yet still likely to entertain adolescent audiences, The Three Musketeers ends with an evident hope for a sequel. Time (and box office numbers) will tell if this effort was all for just one.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Starring Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans. Running time: 111 minutes. Theatrical release October 21, 2011. Updated

The Three Musketeers (2011)
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Three Musketeers (2011) rated PG-13? The Three Musketeers (2011) is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of adventure action violence.

Violence: Various scenes depict swordplay and skirmishes between characters. Two characters are shot on screen. A man is stabbed with a sword (there are no explicit blood effects). A character triggers a security device that begins shooting a barrage of bullets.

Sexual Content: Various dresses reveal cleavage. Discussions occur about a relationship between a betrothed woman and another man.

Language: A couple of scatological slangs, a crude female anatomical term, and a few minor profanities are heard.

Drugs/Alcohol: Hero characters drink large amounts of wine, and beg for more.

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The Three Musketeers (2011) Parents' Guide

You can easily obtain the original novel of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas for no cost by visiting Project Gutenberg at this link (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1257) with your computer or e-reader device. While this particular movie contains some of the book’s plot points, the outcome is significantly different.

It’s true that King Louis XIII was young—he succeeded to the throne of France at the age of nine—however he likely had a few more things to worry about than the color of his clothes. Get more info on this young monarch at the Britannica Online Encyclopedia.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Three Musketeers (2011) movie is March 13, 2012. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Three Musketeers

Release Date: 13 March 2012

The Three Musketeers releases to home video with the following extras:

- Audio commentary with director Paul W.S. Anderson

- Deleted and extended scenes

- Cast and Crew Stories

- 17th Century Action

Related home video titles:

The famous tale of "All for one, and one for all" has had many screen adaptations, including The Three Musketeers (1993) and the animated The Three Musketeers (Disney’s). Look for the stars of this film in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief (Logan Lerman), Thor (Ray Stevenson), and Robin Hood (Matthew Macfadyen and Luke Evans).