Stardust
Stardust, the best fantasy film of 2007, is a rollicking ride through the imagination of Neil Gaiman. Based on his novel of the same name, this Matthew Vaughn-directed fantasy assembles a stellar cast, features imaginative effects, and boasts a sense of humour most comedies of the year would be jealous of. It is uproarious at times, surprisingly stirring and poignant at others, and always entertaining from the opening credits to the final frame.
We are introduced to the tale by way of the narration of Ian McKellen, so the piece immediately gets off on the right foot. He tells us about a village in England called Wall (named so because of its proximity to, you guessed it, a wall) and how young Dunstan Thorn (Ben Barnes) snuck past the guard at the wall to explore what was on the other side in the mystical land of Stormhold. He meets the slave girl of a witch and one thing leads to another. Nine months later, a baby shows up on young Dunstan’s doorstep.
The baby grows up into our hero, Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox). He is in love with Victoria (Sienna Miller) and will do anything for her hand, including making an idiot of himself and chasing down a star to bring it back to her. As he heads off on his ludicrous quest to bring a newly fallen star to Victoria, Tristan finds out that it has crashed to earth and is in the form of Yvaine (Claire Danes). As such, more than just Tristan has use for Yvaine and he becomes her protector and more as they are pursued by the witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) and the sons of the King of Stormhold (Peter O’Toole).
It all is a bit complicated, but Vaughn keeps things moving quickly and draws thick lines around the characters. With lots of magic and compelling characters, including a hilarious Robert de Niro turn as a cross-dressing pirate and a brilliant Ricky Gervais cameo as a shady trader, Stardust is magical and delightful. Other films would have buckled under the pressure of such a complicated plot, but the side stories of the King’s sons striving for the throne and the witches striving for youth don’t get out of hand.
Much of the film is reminiscent of a Terry Gilliam project, as the humour, wit, and eccentric characters call up memories of Time Bandits and Jabberwocky. Interestingly, Gaiman originally discussed the idea of turning his novel into a film with Gilliam and Vaughn. The idea was shelved after Gilliam turned his attention to The Brothers Grimm, but it was looked at again after Vaughn dropped out of directing the last X-Men picture.
The cast is incredible from top to bottom, led by Cox in his first real leading role. He is terrifically fun to watch as Tristan and elegantly walks the line between bumbling and heroic. Danes is absolutely luminous as Yvaine, proving why she is one of Hollywood’s finest understated actresses. Pfeiffer is still hot as all hell playing the wicked witch whose magic ages her and De Niro’s turn as Captain Shakespeare is just…wow – you’ll have to see it to believe it.
Stardust looks good and sounds good, with the Ilan Eshkeri (Layer Cake, Hannibal Rising) score adding scope and depth to the piece. The scenery is lovely, featuring tremendous scenery from Iceland, the Scottish Highlands, and Elm Hill in Norwich. Vaughn directs the piece with passion and obvious admiration for the stars and the locations, giving us a beautiful-looking movie without pretentious style shots.
Stardust is great fun, representing a rare mix of fantasy and comedy without pushing too hard. It is surprisingly delicate, too, and endlessly charming. The characters are rich and inviting, and the performances that bring them to life are amazing. For a truly magical fantasy film experience, Stardust is well worth a look.
Trailer:
