18 years. This is the time the french audience has awaited to finally open its twinkling nostalgic irises on the sequel of the second opus, "The visitors II, The Corridors of Time". Considered as the french "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" tinted with the complex and fanciful theme of time-travel as in the "Back to the Future" series,our two medieval heroes had been left to the time of the French Revolution after gulping down a gut-twisting magic potion blended thoughtlessly with Grand-Marnier, thus altering the effects.

The third opus uses the maneuvers which have made the films cult: misunderstanding between characters of different epochs, funny repetitive cues from Jacquouille,incongruous props,crude humour in reference to personal hygiene... Unfortunately the rhythm is hardly sustained. The characters' caricatures are shy next to the famous duo and even though the encountering characters are historically closer (Middle Ages vs Early modern Period)than in the previous episodes(Middle Ages vs Contemporary 1992), the social gaps are not exploited enough, consisting mostly of already-used jokes. How flat is the use of situation comedy which provided the previous productions with such a relentless succession of bemusing sidesplitting circumstances! The comedy of manners is intelligent in not being one-sided, we see the non-aristocrats wallowing in the luxury and advantages recently seized from the aristocracy.

The movie is however a real delight for its respect of history and historical figures, the costumes-alluding to the fantasy of the time-and the settings shot in Belgium are beauteous.

The script holds well even though the last 20 minutes were a bit sped up compared to the sluggish diner scene with an interest centered more on including historical characters than spurting out-of-control developments like the one in the first movie. The development is actually different, there is less come and go between time periods (except the end)while Godefroy and Jacquouille are endeavoring to survive and find the key to unlock the padlock of time, id est the wizard and the magic potion. This choice might be sacrificing a potential source for jokes, but it has the advantage of focusing the lorgnette's lens on an era with all its subtleties, while framing the script to make it perfectly consistent.

Fans of the genre will appreciate the fast straight-to-the-point editing proper to Jean Marie Poiré, the director, and the same original soundtrack by Eric Lévy in tune with the compositions of Felix-Mandelssohn Bartholdy (Violin concerto in E minor, Op 64).

Some patching-up had to be done considering some elements in the previous films, some actors were not included either because their role was not fitted in the story (Christian Bujeau as Jean Pierre-Goulard the husband, Valérie Lemercier or Muriel Robin as Béatrice de Montmirail...) and some were replaced (Pierre Vial as Eusebius the wizard, Didier Pain as Louis VI le Gros...) considering the particular case of the absent-minded wizard threatened to be immured in case of the no-return of the knight and squire. In "Les visiteurs: La Révolution", while we are shown the macabre fate he underwent, we are acquainted with a new replacing character kinshiply related, that sort of ellipsis, though respectful to the previous scripts, would have needed additional clarifications for the audience less comfortable with the entire storyline. Watchers will notice the physical changes of the two main actors after 18 years, an observation which has cleverly been dealt with in the movie as being a consequence of time travel accelerating the process of aging.

Regarding the dialogs, we do not find the same richness of language in old medieval french as before, yet we discover 18th century expressions and the clash between the two is made good use of. Additionally, we pleasurably witness the practice of wit in a dialogue of hypocrisy when Karin Viard as Adélaïde de Montmirail resorts to her charms to obtain the most and give the less to a well-off blue blood.

Eventually, any film with our two star-crossed visitors includes a twist and an unresolved plot at the end. As a faithful sequel, amateurs of the genre can joyfully consider the possibility of a fourth movie with the hope that the story does not go too worn-out. With a similar focus on history and script, Poiré and Clavier will really have to reinvigorate the comical foolhardiness they were able to adapt to the screen years ago if they want to end the series successfully.

The first one is surely a candidate for best French film of all-time for its pure thick comedy, the history, the emotions, the soundtrack, iconic actors, and one of the most celebrated directors in the country.

The second wasn't as bad as they say. This however, even with as much effort as it is fair to concede, still comes across as too weak.

The problem first of all is they focused too much on story, not enough on funny. It IS a Visiteurs film after all, not a historical document. They had much to work with as comedians during that rusty old time of post-revolution France, and yet they settled for a group of aristocrats as the main new addition as a source for humor; albeit well written, well acted out by notably Karin Viard who does fantastic as the uptight super hypocritical noblette.

No need to spend an hour here: not funny enough, did not exploit the potential of either the classic old elements or the new environment; story is alright but certainly forgettable and only a framework for a mediocre comedy movie.

Dubosc adds his own little touch, is funny on a couple of line deliveries, but nothing more.

4/10.