Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Thrilling, intense Dumas adaptation has realistic violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Three Musketeers - Part I: D'Artagnan
What's the Story?
In THE THREE MUSKETEERS - PART 1: D'ARTAGNAN, Charles D'Artagnan (François Civil) travels to Paris with ambitions of becoming one of King Louis XIII's (Louis Garrel) highly regarded musketeers. On the way, he stumbles into a murder plot against a wealthy woman and is nearly killed. As he begins his first day as a cadet in the king's service, D'Artagnan discovers that the melee he escaped was part of a conspiracy to overthrow the monarchy.
Is It Any Good?
Director Martin Bourboulon takes viewers to the early 17th century and inserts them into Alexandre Dumas' classic novel like no one has before. The Three Musketeers - Part I: D'Artagnan has sweeping cinematography that captures the beauty of the French countryside and the elaborate architecture of French palaces, incredible first-person perspectives on what it's like to be in battle, and costumes that feel so accurate you can almost feel the fabric. Plus, well-respected French actors play these very French characters, who are experiencing French history.
It may make you wonder why it's taken so long for a mainstream movie to depict these characters with such gravity (including much more realistic portrayals of Cardinal de Richelieu and King Louis XIII than in previous iterations). Just know that the film's more realistic approach also includes callous behavior and portrayals of arrogant masculinity. Still, it's thoroughly stimulating -- and it may even make some viewers seek out Dumas' novel and research the history of France.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The Three Musketeers - Part I: D'Artagnan. How does it compare to action movies set in today's world? Which has more impact?
The Three Musketeers are heroes, but are they role models? Why, or why not? How does this version of them compare to others you've seen?
How are viewers pulled into the action sequences? How does this differ from the more traditional "observer" type of action violence usually associated with these kinds of films?
What is historical fiction? Why do you think Alexandre Dumas' novel continues to stay relevant centuries after it was published?
Discuss the scene in which the queen and the duke are discovered. While the attack is happening outside a window, how do the filmmakers make you feel the queen's panic and fear? How do you think most moviemakers would shoot this scene?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 8, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : December 8, 2023
- Cast : Francois Civil , Eva Green , Vincent Cassel , Vicky Krieps
- Director : Martin Bourboulon
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Samuel Goldwyn Films
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , Book Characters
- Character Strengths : Courage , Integrity , Teamwork
- Run time : 121 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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