It seems that even after being released almost 25 years ago, the script for "Star Wars" is still being lifted here and there. Such is the case with "The Musketeer," which carries an extremely unimaginative script. All the pieces from George Lucas's space-western are present and churned out leaving very little entertainment behind. Set in France, a young boy's parents are killed by the evil Febre (Tim Roth), who was once part of the King's musketeers. The boy is then raised by an old family friend who teaches him to be a Musketeer, like his father before him. Sound familiar? Cue the dreadfully corny intro that resembles that of a syndicated show such as "Sinbad" or "Queen of Swords" and the rest of the movie falls into place. The young boy has grown into a dreamy, strong-headed D'Artagnan who's only mission in life is to avenge his parent's death and kill Febre.
The acting in this film is rather poor, especially the lead character of the young swordsman, played by Justin Chambers. The virtually unknown actor spits out lines unconvincingly in-between mediocre fight sequences, even though choreographed by Xin Xin Xiong ("Double Team"). It's difficult to cheer for the hero when he comes across as unlikable and stubborn, and the supporting cast doesn't ease the pain either. With the exception of Mena Suvari playing the love interest (as well as one could in such circumstances) and Tim Roth playing a wickedly delightful villain, the remaining characters are rather dull.
There are no plot twists or anything left to the imagination with The Musketeer. It's a straight-ahead action film disguised as a period piece and fails to entertain on both those levels. The action is weak and the landscape is anything but magnificent. It's a shame that some directors, like Hyams, feel they can recreate a groundbreaking film such as "Star Wars" and disguise it as something new with a historical spin. There's even a final ceremony at the end where our heroes are awarded medals from the King and Queen of France all that's left out is a final blurp from R2-D2.
The acting in this film is rather poor, especially the lead character of the young swordsman, played by Justin Chambers. The virtually unknown actor spits out lines unconvincingly in-between mediocre fight sequences, even though choreographed by Xin Xin Xiong ("Double Team"). It's difficult to cheer for the hero when he comes across as unlikable and stubborn, and the supporting cast doesn't ease the pain either. With the exception of Mena Suvari playing the love interest (as well as one could in such circumstances) and Tim Roth playing a wickedly delightful villain, the remaining characters are rather dull.
There are no plot twists or anything left to the imagination with The Musketeer. It's a straight-ahead action film disguised as a period piece and fails to entertain on both those levels. The action is weak and the landscape is anything but magnificent. It's a shame that some directors, like Hyams, feel they can recreate a groundbreaking film such as "Star Wars" and disguise it as something new with a historical spin. There's even a final ceremony at the end where our heroes are awarded medals from the King and Queen of France all that's left out is a final blurp from R2-D2.
