It’s been over thirty years since Stephen Herek’s The Three Musketeers hit theaters in 1993, and honestly, the movie shouldn't work as well as it does. Think about it. You’ve got a brat pack of '90s stars—Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, and Chris O’Donnell—running around in 17th-century France. On paper, it sounds like a recipe for a cringey disaster. Critics at the time mostly agreed; Roger Ebert famously gave it two stars, calling it a "slickly produced commercial."
But they were wrong.
What critics missed was the sheer, unadulterated joy of the thing. Disney’s The Three Musketeers isn't trying to be a scholarly adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel. It doesn’t care about the heavy political nuances of the Franco-Spanish War or the deep theological debates of the time. It cares about sword fights, snarky one-liners, and that massive power ballad by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting. It’s a swashbuckler in the truest sense. It’s loud, it’s fast, and it’s surprisingly earnest.
The Weird Alchemy of the Cast
Usually, when you cast a bunch of American heartthrobs to play French swordsmen, the accents alone sink the ship. But here, the movie just... skips them. Mostly. Except for Tim Curry, who is basically playing a scenery-chewing version of Cardinal Richelieu that feels like it belongs in a Shakespearean play—or a fever dream. Curry is the MVP here. He knows exactly what movie he’s in. He isn’t trying to be a nuanced villain; he’s a cartoonishly evil puppet master, and he loves every second of it.
You’ve got Kiefer Sutherland as Athos. He’s the moody, alcoholic one with the tragic past. It’s probably the most "serious" performance in the movie, and it anchors the whole thing. Then there’s Charlie Sheen as Aramis. Look, it's weird seeing Sheen in a cassock, but he brings a sort of laid-back, spiritual-but-deadly vibe that actually fits the character’s "priest-turned-soldier" background better than you’d expect. Oliver Platt as Porthos is the real standout among the trio, though. He’s the comic relief, sure, but he handles the physical comedy with a grace that most actors would stumble over.
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And then there's Chris O'Donnell as D'Artagnan. He’s the young, hot-headed kid from Gascony. He’s basically playing a 90s teenager who happens to be good with a rapier. It works because he's a perfect foil to the jaded, weary Musketeers who have already given up on the crown.
Why Disney’s The Three Musketeers Deviates From the Book (and Why That’s Okay)
If you read the original Dumas novel, you know it’s dark. It’s dense. There’s a lot of betrayal that feels genuinely cruel. Disney, being Disney, scrubbed a lot of that away. In the book, Milady de Winter is a genuinely terrifying figure with a backstory that would make a modern horror director blush. In the 1993 film, Rebecca De Mornay plays her with a sympathetic edge. She’s still a villain, but you kind of feel for her when she’s facing the executioner's block.
The plot is simplified to the extreme. The King is a bit of a ditz, the Queen is a saint, and the Cardinal wants to take over France by assassinating the King and framing the Musketeers. It’s a classic "save the day" narrative.
- The Action: The choreography is actually quite good. It’s not the gritty, realistic combat of The Last Duel. It’s cinematic. It’s about swinging on chandeliers and jumping off balconies.
- The Tone: It refuses to take itself seriously. There’s a scene where D'Artagnan is trying to have a romantic moment with Constance, and the other three are just... watching. It’s meta before meta was a thing.
- The Soundtrack: Michael Kamen’s score is sweeping and heroic. But "All for Love"? That song was inescapable. It stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for months. It defines the era of the movie tie-in single.
The Production Magic of 1993
They didn't just film this on a backlot in Burbank. A lot of the movie was shot on location in Austria and the UK. When you see those sprawling woods or the massive fortifications, those are real. That’s why the movie has aged better than the CG-heavy versions that came later (looking at you, 2011 version with the flying ships).
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There’s a tangible weight to the sets. The costumes, designed by John Mollo—the guy who did the original Star Wars costumes—are gorgeous. They have that "lived-in" feel. The leather looks old. The silks look heavy. It gives the movie a sense of prestige that the script doesn't necessarily demand, but definitely benefits from.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Reception
There’s a common misconception that this movie was a flop. It wasn't. It made over $50 million at the domestic box office against a $30 million budget. By 1993 standards, that was a solid hit. It also cleaned up on home video. If you grew up in the mid-90s, chances are you had that white clamshell VHS case on your shelf.
It’s often lumped in with other "failed" literary adaptations of the decade, but it actually sparked a bit of a revival for the genre. Without the success of The Three Musketeers, we might not have gotten the big-budget The Man in the Iron Mask a few years later with Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Enduring Legacy of "All for One"
Why do we still talk about this specific version? There have been dozens of adaptations since the silent era. There was the 1948 Gene Kelly version, the 1970s Richard Lester films (which are arguably the "best" from a filmmaking perspective), and even a BBC series.
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But the Disney version captures the spirit of friendship better than most. The chemistry between the four leads feels genuine. When they say "All for one, and one for all," it doesn’t feel like they’re just reciting a famous line. It feels like they actually like each other. That’s a hard thing to fake.
The movie also serves as a perfect "gateway drug" to the world of swashbuckling adventure. It’s accessible. You don't need a history degree to follow the stakes. You just need to know that the guys in the blue capes are the good guys and the guys in the red capes are the bad guys.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Lovers
If you haven't revisited this film in a while, or if you're introducing it to someone new, there are a few ways to really appreciate it.
- Watch the 1973 Version First: To appreciate how "Disney-fied" the 1993 version is, watch Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers. It's much closer to the book's gritty tone. Then watch the Disney version to see how they transformed it into a pop-culture spectacle.
- Pay Attention to the Stunt Work: Before the age of digital doubles, these actors had to do a lot of their own movements. Chris O’Donnell actually trained extensively in fencing for the role.
- Listen to the Score: Michael Kamen was a master. He also did Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Die Hard. You can hear the DNA of those scores in the Musketeers' themes.
- Look for the Cameos: Keep an eye out for a very young Gabrielle Anwar and even some familiar faces in the Cardinal's guard.
Disney's The Three Musketeers is a time capsule. It’s a reminder of a time when movies could just be fun without needing to set up a ten-movie cinematic universe. It’s about brotherhood, honor, and wearing really cool hats. It’s not high art, and it never tried to be. It’s just a great time at the movies.
For the best experience today, stream the 4K remastered version if you can find it. The colors of the French court and the dark blues of the Musketeer uniforms pop in a way that the old VHS tapes never could. It’s a visual treat that proves some stories are timeless, no matter how much "90s energy" you inject into them.