Today’s quick review: Stardust. Tristan (Charlie Cox), a naive English country boy, ventures over the wall near his village into the magical kingdom of Stormhold in search of a fallen star to win the hand of Victoria (Sienna Miller), a girl from his village. But the star turns out to be a woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes) who is cross about falling to Earth. As Tristan hurries to get Yvaine home in time for Victoria’s birthday, he must stay ahead of Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), a witch who wants the star’s heart to restore her youth, and Septimus (Mark Strong), a prince seeking to use the star to claim his father’s throne.
Stardust is a fantasy film directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on a story by Neil Gaiman. For a modern take on the fairy tale genre, Stardust has surprisingly solid fundamentals. Apart from a few mature themes that push it into PG-13, Stardust has all the optimism and wonder one could expect from the genre. The story is very well constructed, adroitly managing its plot threads and setting up its endgame quite nicely. Between crisp writing, thoughtful direction, and a subtly impressive soundtrack, Stardust remains an engaging watch throughout its two hours.
As for the characters, none are exceptional, but they fill their roles quite well. Tristan is a bit of a sap but blends his starry-eyed idealism with enough courage to make him a worthy hero. For her part, Yvaine receives little development at first but is fleshed out nicely over the course of the movie. Michelle Pfeiffer plays a satisfying witch in the classical mold, while Robert De Niro steals the show in his supporting role as Captain Shakespeare.
Watch Stardust if you are a fan of well-written, well-executed fairy tale fantasy. Stardust is a spiritual successor to The Princess Bride, but it distinguishes itself from its predecessor with heavier fantasy, a more cohesive plot, and more polish, albeit at the cost of some of The Princess Bride’s quotability and storybook charm. Those who dislike fantasy or find the fairy tale genre to be unsatisfying or naive will get little out of Stardust and should skip it.
7.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for craftsmanship and charm.