Movie and Television Reviews

Stardust elicits chuckles if not guffaws; smiling sighs if not quite tears; and moments of heightened tension if not outright eye-covering fright; the sum of which, however, along with its superior storytelling, merit Stardust a seat at the table with the best light-hearted fantasy fairy tale films, Baron Münchhausen, Willow, and The Princess Bride.

From the beginning until almost the end, the movie is so well-designed and free of cliche that the audience treks alongside the characters with about as much idea of the movie's eventual course as the characters themselves. The main plot consists of three quests initiated by the same event, but unrelated in purpose and with each quest's protagonist anonymous to the other. The dying king of Stormhold; a magical kingdom next to the English village of Wall separated by a... well..., wall, that no Englishman enters since "nobody ever has" and because it's protected by a staff wielding elderly guardian; summons a meteor in the form of a beautiful maiden named Yvaine (Claire Danes), a fantasy device original to me (the meteor, not Sienna). Yvaine possesses a completely transparent Ruby and the first of the king's sons to return the gem in its original red becomes king. Like the king himself who succeeded because he succeeded at killing all of his brothers, each of the sons attempts to kill his rival siblings except for their sister who is a slave. As each brother kills another, the victim awaits the new king as a ghost with his dead brothers when they're freed (to heaven?). The brothers provide droll play-by-play as they observe the action; kind of like phantasmal John Maddens.

Sensing the presence of the meteor, three witches, of whom Lamia is played brilliantly by Michelle Pfeiffer, also seek Yvaine but because the consumption of Yvaine's heart has the fortuitous side effect of bestowing everlasting life. And, finally, Tristan, the son, significantly, of the princess-slave mentioned above and his seduced father, Dunstan Thorn, promises to enter the kingdom of Stormhold and return part of the meteor to impress the attractive if vapid Victoria played by the gorgeous Sienna Miller (The character of Victoria demonstrates the genius of the film. The writers (see below) could have easily made Victoria an over the top, 19th century Paris Hilton and played it for cheap laughs. In Stardust, they present Victoria as only moderately superficial so as to add suspense to Tristan's choice).

The three groups cross paths at various times throughout the movie. In one particularly effective scene, Lamia sets a trap for one of the questing princes by elaborating a complete inn tended to by a magically transsexual farm boy and a converted billy goat.

To fulfill their mission, the characters must traverse strange lands and meet fascinating people including a closeted, storm-catching, hair-dressing, and ruthless pirate, Captain Shakespeare, played disturbingly well by Robert De Niro (although its his playing-against-type that makes De Niro's scenes so funny); and an honest-to-goodness village idiot.

After the well-done if genrically conventional duration they irritate each other, Tristan begins to forget about Victoria and falls for the more sincere Yvaine They woo each other in a refreshingly Victorian, masculine hero-damsel-in-distress manner. Tristan grows from a boy into a man...look, I can go on and on, but the main point is that the excitement and impressive creativity never cease until the clever and satisfying ending.

If Stardust were only driven only by its elaborate yet tightly wound and efficient plot, it would be a triumph of superior story and adaptive screen writing. With its innocent "pure love" romance, humor, unforgettable characters (including the village idiot), and inspiring performances, it may be the best mass-market movie of the year. Pirates of the Caribbean doesn't reach Stardust's feet.

Message/Politics:

The messages are of the “follow your heart” variety. Tristan leaves his job and his father encourages him to head out into the world. During one advice-session, Tristan's father (Nathaniel Parker who did a fantastic Rawdon Crawley in a television version of Vanity Fair) delivers the wonderful line, “some of the men I most admired in my youth have gone on to lead unremarkable lives.”

The "be true to oneself" theme is echoed by the gay pirate, Captain Shakespeare, who eventually leaves the closet (or cabin, or whatever).

Despite his desire to lead a full life, Tristan doesn't shy away from fighting for those he loves.

No Star Wars “you're either with me or against me” political commentary.

The witches aren't misunderstood or persecuted. They're very very bad.

Religion is treated respectfully. The king's council maintains dignity.

Sienna Miller. Not to be confused with...

...the Toyota Sienna.

The Princess Bride (Special Edition)

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Willow (Special Edition)

Credits below:

Follow up:

Directed by
Matthew Vaughn

Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Neil Gaiman novel
Jane Goldman screenplay
Matthew Vaughn screenplay

Cast (in credits order)
Charlie Cox ... Tristran

Ian McKellen ... Narrator (voice)
Bimbo Hart ... Young Scientist
Alastair MacIntosh ... Victorian Academic

David Kelly ... Guard

Ben Barnes ... Young Dunstan Thorn
Kate Magowan ... Salve Girl/Una
Melanie Hill ... Ditchwater Sal

Sienna Miller ... Victoria

Henry Cavill ... Humphrey

Nathaniel Parker ... Dunstan Thorn
Darby Hawker ... Grumpy Customer
Frank Ellis ... Mr. Monday

Peter O'Toole ... King

Mark Strong ... Septimus

Jason Flemyng ... Primus
Mark Heap ... Tertius

Struan Rodger ... Bishop

Rupert Everett ... Secundus
David Walliams ... Sextus
Julian Rhind-Tutt ... Quartus
Adam Buxton ... Sextus

Michelle Pfeiffer ... Lamia

Claire Danes ... Yvaine

Sarah Alexander ... Empusa
Joanna Scanlan ... Mormo
George Innes ... Soothsayer

Jake Curran ... Bernard
Grant Burgin ... Lackey
Mark Williams ... Billy

Olivia Grant ... Girl Bernard
Coco Sumner ... Yvaine's Sister

Dexter Fletcher ... Skinny Pirate

Robert De Niro ... Captain Shakespeare
Terry Murphy ... Old Pirate
Ricky Gervais ... Ferdy the Fence
Geoff Bell ... Receptionist
Mark Burns ... New Bishop
Rab Affleck ... Pirate
Carlos Besse Peres ... Pirate
Elwin 'Chopper' David ... Pirate (as Chopper)

Adam Fogerty ... Pirate
Jordan Long ... Pirate
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Peter Goodall ... Tristran's Son

Produced by
Lorenzo di Bonaventura .... producer
Michael Dreyer .... producer
Chantal Feghali .... co-producer
Neil Gaiman .... producer
Stephen Marks .... executive producer
Peter Morton .... executive producer
Tarquin Pack .... associate producer
Matthew Vaughn .... producer
Brad Weston .... executive producer
David Womark .... executive producer

Original Music by
Ilan Eshkeri

Cinematography by
Ben Davis