The Three Musketeers touches on the timeless themes of integrity, a sense of duty and brotherhood but also includes kick-ass sword fights and more than its fair share of damsels in distress. With this new (2023) take on the classic, The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan and Part 2: Milady, it’s fitting to be shepherded by French director and second-generation movie man Martin Bourboulon.

These two films were major productions in France and as such feature extravagant budgets and large casts with big stars. In keeping with its country of origin, the accuracy of its look is paramount and Bourboulon and cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc were unafraid to set the action in dark and dangerous surroundings. They have created a world best seen in a very dark room so you can revel in the minute detail. It is also unsentimental when dispatching some of its main characters.

Having never had an issue with sub-titles, it must be noted that this is a work that was made for many markets in the world and as such the act of reading to keep up is very easy as the screen is never overcrowded with text. The emotional content is also very apparent by the actor’s skill. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, this level of entertainment demands the viewing of its sister part two Milady, which will be released in Aussie cinemas June 6!
Rob Hudson
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The story is expanded and now ends with a much bigger flourish. It also gives some of the actors the canvas to go big. In particular Michael Keaton, who has never been more hammy and over the top as the representation of the evils of big business, V. A. Vandevere. Colin Farrell as the returning World War One solider Holt Farrier, also gets to play a heroic father figure to his two young children played by Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins.

The real star of the show is of course Dumbo and the animators do a great job of creating the baby pachyderm with the big ears. Of particular effect are his baby blues, they really translate emotion. Tim Burton and his production designer Rick Heinrichs and cinematographer Ben Davis combine forces to create a fantastical looking world filled with old world charm and an almost steam punk injection of futuristic technology.

The most unique element of the film is its limited accessibility to different segments of the audience. Despite it being a Disney production and being based on a very youth friendly origin, it is quite dark, visually and thematically and that might be a bit much for the very youngest members of the family. Many, including this reviewer, will see this as a plus, as it doesn’t adhere to the old one-size-fits all Disney ethos.

Rob Hudson
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Circus owner Max Medici (DeVito) enlists Holt to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when Holt’s children (Parker and Hobbins) discover that Dumbo can fly, persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Keaton) and an aerial artist named Colette Marchant (Green) swoop in to make the peculiar pachyderm a star.

Walt Disney’s classic animated tale “Dumbo,” which opened Oct. 23, 1941, won an Oscar® for best scoring of a musical picture and was nominated for best original song for “Baby Mine.”
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Unafraid to unsettle his young target audience (if only just a bit), Burton keeps the creepiness quotient on a low boil while interspersing the proceedings with enough lightness to keep things on the sweet dreams side of nightmares. My 9 year-old was fine with it and, indeed, loved it. Think Coraline-level macabre but perhaps a touch more grisly.

It pays to keep your wits about you in order to follow the film’s mild time-bending eccentricities but, if you keep up, it’s not hard to follow. There are some minor continuity issues in the editing but if you follow the broad strokes it’s easy to fill in the obvious blanks yourself.

Eva Green is all regimented grace and beauty as the titular Miss Peregrine; guardian and mentor to her flock of children with peculiar abilities, protecting them from a bullish world intolerant of those who do not comply with the norm. Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Ender’s Game) does well as Jake, the tender boy with no apparent peculiarity, tasked with saving them all from the evil Barron (Samuel L. Jackson), who means to sacrifice them all for the sake of his own immortality. The rest of the young cast also hold their own. There is also a welcome surprise in the impressive array of seasoned actors filling out the secondary roles that include Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Allison Janney, Chris O’Dowd and Terence Stamp.

Following on from last year’s Big Eyes, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a positive sign that Burton’s quality trend is on the up once more.

Stuart Jamieson
www.foxmovies.com