The Forgotten '90s Swashbuckler That Wrote the Playbook for 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

Published May 21, 2026, 5:09 PM EDT

With larger-budgeted movies becoming so reliant on technology, many have developed more of an appreciation for practical effects and stunt work, and to those who love '90s action films and practical effects, it'd be shameful to go about your day without knowing about a lesser-appreciated one that was released by Disney in 1993. One that not only showcased what we love about action films of the decade — light-hearted comedy, fun performances, and entertaining villains — but also the spectacle of in-camera effects. That film is The Three Musketeers.

The Critics Were Wrong About 'The Three Musketeers'

The film follows a young D'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell) who travels to Paris in hopes of becoming a musketeer like his father. Upon arriving, he learns that the musketeers have been disbanded by Cardinal Richelieu (Tim Curry), who plans to assassinate the King and take over France. The only ones who stand in his way are the rebellious (and titular) three musketeers: Athos (Kiefer Sutherland), Porthos (Oliver Platt), and Aramis (Charlie Sheen), who D'Artagnan must join forces with if they're to save both the musketeers and France.

The Three Musketeers was a mixed bag upon release, garnering a low critic score of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, but decent money at the box office. It was number one its opening weekend and earned $53 million against a roughly $30 million budget. The film is like a treasure trove of '90s action tropes, and it is unafraid to be a popcorn movie, down to it taking place in 17th century France and all the actors speaking English with American accents. (And the ones who don't have American accents are very British.) It's lighthearted fun with a goofy sense of humor, likable characters, and nefariously evil villains. Since it's a '90s movie, naturally, these villains are played by Michael Wincott and Tim Curry.

Though he wasn't involved in the production, the film has the Jerry Bruckheimer tone of everyone taking the material seriously, but not taking themselves too seriously. Heavy moments are allowed time to breathe, but the movie is more focused on fun escapism than tackling heavy drama. All it wants is to entertain its audience, and it does it well. While Oliver Platt is the comic relief and crushes the role like a hydraulic press, the movie isn't afraid to let everyone have their moments to be funny.

'The Three Musketeers' Feels Like a Precursor to 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

Speaking of Bruckheimer, the film is like a precursor to the Pirates of the Carribean franchise. It's got a young naive hero entering a world he knows very little about, with a dead father who was well encompassed and respected in that world, going so far as having the same name. D'Artagnan is essentially Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), except he's proud of his father's background, rather than ashamed of it, and his arc is to be as honorable as his father's reputation, rather than come to grips with it. The three musketeers also share the same function as Jack Sparrow, being veterans of this world and showing our hero the ropes, while also being the charismatic and quotable characters that you remember most. Both films even have an action scene around a failed public execution.

Oddly enough, while the film's goofy sense of humor is similar to the Pirates franchise, thematically, The Three Musketeers feels way more adult in retrospect. This movie has a surprisingly big body count (much of which is thanks to our heroes), with many henchmen being stabbed, shot, impaled, or falling to their deaths. And since this is a '90s movie, everyone is overtly horny to a hilarious degree.

'The Three Musketeers' Is a Movie of a Bygone Era

What makes the film special is the level of practical work that's done throughout. All the stunts are in-camera, and that includes chase sequences, practical explosions, and sword fights. The actors performed the choreography themselves, with the leads training for two months at Musketeer Boot Camp before filming. It was even shot on location in Vienna and reportedly used hundreds of horses and thousands of costumes and extras. The money is on the screen, because by the time it gets to the climax, it feels appropriately large and epic with hundreds of extras fighting alongside our heroes.

The Three Musketeers is like a time capsule of a movie, showing off what made '90s action movies so memorable while also being a fun movie in its own right. The action is great, the cast is endearing, and it even has an old-school happy ending with a Bryan Adams song playing as the credits roll. It's such a product of its time that it actually comes back around to being timeless, and it has heroes high-fiving with swords and then fighting bad guys. What more can you want?