Return of The Musketeers is not a bad film as such. However, unfortunately it isn't particularly anything to rave about either. The film does have its good points, such as the beautiful production values, some witty jokes about the ravages of time and a good cast Oliver Reed and Christopher Lee being the standouts. However, it lacks the energy and sparkle that was evident in The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers. The pace is rather languid this time round and the action is clumsy. Richard Lester apparently was ill during production and sadly any enthusiasm that made the previous entries so enjoyable isn't here. I am well aware of Roy Kinnear's tragic death, and I was very saddened, but if this was an attempt of "the show must go on", it doesn't come through. I also thought the script was disjointed, the ravages of time jokes aside, and the story while a great idea lacking. Also Thomas C. Howell is very out of place as Athos's son Raoul, who was an unnecessary presence anyway. All in all, has its moments but disappointing and while not the worst sequel of all time it is one that goes too far. 4/10 Bethany Cox

THE RETURN OF THE MUSKETEERS is the third and final part of the THREE MUSKETEERS trilogy directed by Richard Lester. The first two films were made around 15 years before this one, and there's a noticeable dip in quality which means that this is an easy film to leave out if you're planning to enjoy the movies. It's not really a good film at all, blighted by the death of Roy Kinnear after an accident during film. Me, I only watched it because I'm a Christopher Lee completist.

The story sees the musketeers scattered to the wind and aged in the intervening years. Eventually they do get back together to take a trip to England to rescue the king, but time has not been kind to some of the stars. I'm thinking particularly of Oliver Reed, who is literally larger than life now and doubled in the fight scenes as much as Seagal in one of his straight-to-DVD thrillers. The best part of the film is the hilarious opening scene in which Kinnear tries to get his lunch, but it's all downhill from there.

Kim Cattrall is a poor shoe-in for villainess although Christopher Lee is a reliable villain as always. Richard Chamberlain quit the production after Kinnear's death and thus is oddly absent for large parts of the running time. Only Michael York seems to be making the effort and his charisma comes through. Otherwise THE RETURN OF THE MUSKETEERS is an insipid film that relies too much on broad laughs and the ham-fisted scripting means that it's merely a weak imitation of what has come before.

It's nice to see many of the original cast members back for this third "Musketeers" movie, even though 15 years has elapsed since the second film. Usually such a long hiatus would have resulted in changes of personnel and style, but here we have a refreshing example of that NOT being the case. They even have the same director (Richard Lester),which helps to explain why the old mix of slapstick, political intrigue, sex and action is still so effective. Before I actually saw The Return Of The Musketeers, I was foolish enough to listen to all the negative critical buzz surrounding the film. As a result I came to it already prejudiced, expecting it to be a tired, listless, unworthy end to the trilogy (as many reviewers had suggested). Not so.... this is a most enjoyable instalment, and those who say otherwise are, frankly, wrong!

The musketeers as we remember them have long since gone their separate ways. D'Artagnan (perenially youthful Michael York) is the only one still employed as a musketeer, but he now works for the King - and rather less money! He is galvanised back into action when entrusted by the Cardinal Mazzarin (Phillipe Noiret) to deal with the rise of Beaufort supporters in the wake of Cromwell's rise to power in England. However, he soon has more to worry about than a mere rebellion when it becomes apparent that a name from the past has returned to exact revenge on each of the musketeers. That name is Justine de Winter, daughter of Milady de Winter (the female villain that Faye Dunaway played in the earlier films, who was eventually captured and beheaded by the musketeers). With Justine out for revenge, D'Artagnan has to track down his old friends - some of whom are Beaufort supporters and therefore the very people he should be fighting against - and together they ride again into various adventures and dangers.

There are certainly some problems with The Return Of The Musketeers, but none of them undermine the film as much as its detractors would have us believe. Firstly, Kim Cattrall plays Justine in too contemporary a style and this jars with the film's period trappings. Secondly, Richard Chamberlain's character, the musketeer Aramis, is not in the story much and the scripters have tried to compensate for his absence by introducing the character of Raoul, son of Athos. Alas, Raoul is both unnecessary to the story (he was mentioned in the book, but not used whatsoever as a key figure) and rather poorly played by C. Thomas Howell - another actor too contemporary for the surroundings. Apart from that, this is a most enjoyable movie with plenty of exciting sequences and good humour. In particular, there are several action sequences which are given a lovely element of slapstick (check out the wonderfully funny opening sequence, for example). The plot is quite complex and hard to keep up with - as, indeed, it was in the two earlier instalments - but the lively pacing and frequent bursts of action keep the audience engrossed. Many reviewers have already commented that this was Roy Kinnear's last film (he died following a horse-riding accident on the set),so I won't add too much to what has already been said. I will, however, say that Kinnear's performance in the film is comedy at its finest and this whole film is a lovely tribute to a lovely man and his considerable comic talents.