This review is the short review. If you have already seen the movie, or don't mind finding out what happens ahead of time, go to the long review

The Four Musketeers is a companion film to (naturally) the Three Musketeers, wonderful stylish historical romance taken from the novel, and brilliantly written for the screen by George Macdonald Fraser.

This one is a little darker than its predecessor...there is more character development, more intrigue, and "many people were killed", to quote W. C. Fields as Carl LaFong. This movie is also a bit problematical, in that Fraser took extreme liberties with the original story, not sticking with it as closely as he did in The Three Musketeers.

Although I'm usually quite honked off at people who rewrite books when they are filmed, and am a proponent of shooting it as closely to the way it was written as possible, I still think Fraser did a good job, and had good reasons for the changes he made...more serious, not as much fun as the first, but an excellent movie nonetheless.

For a real treat, watch them both together!