The Musketeers - Season 1 - DVD

Movie: When his father is murdered by a masked man posing as Athos the Musketeer, young D`Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) seeks revenge. Arriving in Paris, he plans to kill the musketeer immediately. But it soon turns out that it wasn't the real Athos (Tom Burke) who killed D`Artagnan's father and that someone is trying to turn King Louis (Ryan Gage) against his musketeers. The plan seems to work and Athos is sent to prison. Together with his cronies Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) and Portos (Howard Charles) D`Artagnan now wants to prove the Musketeer`s innocence and find out who is really responsible for his father`s death. All clues lead to the Red Guard of the scheming Cardinal Richelieu (Peter Capaldi), who has long been a thorn in the side of the Musketeers on his way to power. After the men manage to save Athos from the gallows, D`Artagnan is accepted into the ranks of the Musketeers. In order to protect the king from attacks and intrigues and to secure the peace in France it is from now on: All for one, one for all!

The BBC production The Musketeers, filmed in the Czech Republic, is another variation of the novels by Alexandre Dumas, adapted again and again since the 1920s. After countless feature films and TV series, which even included a modern variant starring David Hasselhoff and Thomas Gottschalk, one might think that no new facets can be added to this story. But this exciting adventure series shows that this is possible after all. With a good portion of self-irony (for example, in the first episode the well-known motto of the Musketeers is varied in a very amusing way), atmospheric locations, good actors (wonderful: Doctor Who Peter Capaldi as the nasty Richelieu) and exciting stories, these Musketeers offer TV entertainment at its best.

Set design, décor and effects make 17th century France an impressive reality. Whether it's gloomy gasses or opulent palaces, simple sheds or sophisticated gardens, the creators have done a great job of drawing viewers into the world of the Musketeers. How authentic it all is doesn't matter too much. The fact is that it works brilliantly on a visual level alone, allowing the stories of intrigue, honour, friendship and, of course, love to unfold perfectly within it.

The four titular heroes are a good mix of cool heroes and likeable underdogs who always remain true to their principles. Thus, as a viewer, you are only too happy to follow their adventures, which are sometimes told with the necessary seriousness, but then again with a refreshing wink. The result is an entertaining and very entertaining adventure series, which convincingly combines classic and modern elements of the genre. In the end, that's easily enough for one: Absolutely worth seeing - we are already looking forward to season 2!

Picture + Sound: The implementation of image and sound on the DVD is on a very good level. The picture is absolutely clean and features rich colors and well-matched contrasts. The sharpness of the picture leaves a very good impression, especially in the brighter outdoor scenes. There are some minimal drops in quality during darker scenes, but they only have a marginal effect on the good overall impression. The audio is primarily dominated by the dialogue and music. From time to time, however, smaller ambient noises or even sound effects ensure that something like real surround feeling arises. Good!

Extras: The nearly one-hour bonus material on the fourth DVD can really be seen. Creating Their World (approx. 18:31 min.) takes you through the sets and lets the series' historical consultant have his say. Bootcamp (approx. 16:07 min.) shows how the cast was trained in sword fighting, horseback riding and stunts in the Czech Republic. Muskets, Leather, Corsets and Swords (approx. 15:51 min.) highlights the attention to detail that went into the costumes and weapons. And The Rescue of Constance (approx. 11:20 min.) shows the making of a scene and the effort that was put into this production. Interesting and really worth watching!

Conclusion: The Musketeers is an exciting and entertaining twist on the well-known story by Alexandre Dumas. Good actors, exciting stories, a good pinch of humour and rousing action sequences make this first season quite a lot of fun, which actually adds new sides to the already often adapted material. The DVD presents the series in good picture and sound quality and also offers a lot of extras worth seeing. For this there is a: Absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp