The Three Potatoes

9th June 2008
Stardust (2007)

In the small town of Wall , life is simple and ordinary. Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) is a young man intent on winning the love of the town beauty, Victoria (Sienna Miller). She has many rich suitors and Tristan is merely a shop boy with big dreams and not a lot to offer until they both witness a falling star on night. Tristan offers to bring her the fallen star for her hand in marriage and Victoria playfully agrees. Intent on returning before another suitor can claim her hand, he quickly embarks on his journey which takes him beyond Wall for the very first time. Once he is past the town wall the realm beyond unfurls endless lands of magic and spells, witches and princes, adventure and amazement.

Stardust is pure magic. It is a delightful fantasy with so much rollicking fun and a great heart in the story. The world has been weaved together with great love and a sense of old school playful fantasy - none of the new smart self-referential humour which steps the audience out of disbelief - it keeps both feet the magical realm and is better for it. It is by no means a revelation but a really entertaining film.

Part of the pleasure in seeing the movie so well put together is the fact it was adapted from a Neil Gaiman novel which I felt lacked a bit of warmth and the right pace. While I adore Gaiman, I always wish for more in his novels, and I'm thrilled the screenplay enhanced the wonder and fantasy and trimmed the slower parts to bake it into a light yet sweetly satisfying cake. Captain Shakespeare is strangely different in the adaptation but De Niro embraces what he has been given. Michelle Pfeffier, as incredibly stunning as ever, steals every scene she's in as the wonderfully wicked witch chasing after the Star for her own evil ends. The seven Princes storyline is so much fun to watch.

Charlie Cox is a newcomer and he is perfectly cast as the sweetly
lovelorn small town boy who develops into a worldlier adventurer with a lot of warmth and charisma. Claire Danes is figuratively and actually luminous as the Star, Yvaine. She glows in this role and her beautiful facial expressions and light touch with the character match the gentle comedy and romance of the script. I was utterly charmed.

You'll like this if: you like the Princess Bride

You'll probably not like this if: you don't like me.

Read Alaris' review of Stardust (2007).