Les Trois Mousquetaires : Milady

I enjoyed the first episode more unfortunately. It's very nicely shot (the cinematography is breathtaking), the actors play perfectly, and there is less action, but when it comes to it is again very good. However, since I didn't remember the first part much, I got lost in the plot, it seemed to me too convoluted and because of that, I couldn't fully immerse myself in the film. Maybe I'll give it a second chance when it comes out online, but I just don't feel like giving it 4 stars, even it meets the parameters of a 4-star film. 6/10. (02.01.2024)

I found Milady a little weaker than D'Artagnan in the end, yet I left the cinema satisfied. I originally thought that Three Musketeers would be split into two films, but the ending of the second part left the door open for another sequel. In addition to the plotting and intrigue, they did not forget the dynamic action scenes, of which I would single out the attack on La Rochelle and the confrontation between D'Artagnan and Milady. I also liked the plastic portrayal of the character of Milady herself, played by the demonic femme fatale Eva Green. I had counted on the death of one of the main characters, yet I was quite surprised by the ending. A weaker four stars! (26.12.2023)

I enjoyed Eva Green in the corset more, but otherwise I enjoyed everything else less. The first one was better. Still top-notch production values, big-movie ambitions and the right dynamics and visuals, but the second part doesn't stand out in any significant way and only serves as a necessary bridge for the finale. Sort of like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a good second part, necessary for the great first and third. (28.04.2024)

Water in the first one, and now fire. Milady on fire, literally. Eva Green breathed even more tragedy into this character and further liberated her from the corset of the “villain” formula that we know from the classic Musketeer movies. Thanks to that, the canonical moments of the story are truly strong in the ending and Milady gives new energy to the seemingly unproblematic character of D'Artagnan (not to mention Athos, of course). Bourboulon utilises the same positive aspects as in the first film, i.e. a strong start, excellent action and dark urgency, which is cleverly disrupted by Portos and Aramis and their front-line wedding special. This time, the better-constructed climax also works. There is a certain amount of embarrassment (again) from some of the rickety donkey bridges and the somewhat enigmatic motivations for the chosen plot twists in the political storyline. Like Milady, Richelieu likably gains new dimensions to his villainy in this version. Incidentally, I am the last person who would criticise characters of a different skin colour in an adaptation of a Creole author’s work, but the “black prince” comes across a bit like the Poochie character in The Simpsons. I’m especially looking forward to the third part of this, the best Dumas adaptation! (21.12.2023)