Stardust (2007): A Movie Review

"Stardust", stars Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Charlie Cox, Peter O'Toole and Sienna Miller. This movie has a little bit of everything, so is sure to suit the viewing tastes of most movie fanatics. Stardust has action and adventure, science fiction, comedy, romance and, above all, fantasy.

A star falls to earth and soon becomes the focus of three major, yet very distinct parties, all vying for its capture. And so the story really begins.

A young village lad, Tristan (played by Charlie Cox), vows to retrieve the star as an offering of love and devotion to the girl who has stolen his heart. She, however, is not smitten with him, yet promises her hand in marriage on one condition. If his gift to her should exceed that of another pursuer, who has already promised her a lovely diamond, much to her pleasure, she will turn down the proposal of the other man to marry him. After making such a promise, he must now travel a great distance from the safety of his homeland, to enter a realm of magic and mysticism, deception and possible great danger to himself.

At the very same time, a king's sons are in pursuit of the star. The king (played by Peter O'Toole) has vowed, upon his death bed, that whomever should capture and return with the star, he would be king in his place, to rule the kingdom of Stormhold for an eternity. The brothers must not only compete with others for the capture of the star, but ultimately must compete with each other, as only one of them can become king.

Still, in another part of the kingdom, are three sisters, who happen to be witches. The centuries have aged them considerably, much to their dismay. Should they retrieve the star, they would inherit eternal beauty and youth.

Being this star carries so much importance to all three parties, with great desperation, there is bound to be some adventurous mayhem along the journey to finding and capturing the star.

Michelle Pfeiffer is absolutely superb as one of the witch sisters. Fortunately, through many of the scenes, she is able to appear in her own glorious beauty. However, upon each magical spell that she casts, her beauty dwindles, so she must be extremely careful as not to cast too many spells. This proves quite fruitless (and comical), as retrieving the star is not an easy task, even for a witch with immeasurable powers.

Robert De Niro portrays a captain of a pirate crew (who happens to guide his ship through the clouds as opposed to the seas). His notorious nature is known throughout many kingdoms, yet Tristan is soon to discover, this is not the true nature of the scheming, treacherous pirate. He is, in fact, a kind hearted and lovable man, who assists Tristan in both a safe passage back to his homeland, as well as teaching him a valuable lesson in finding and recognizing his true soul mate.

There are many unexpected twists and turns along the journey throughout the movie, which makes it both charming and exciting to sit through.

The costume design and visual effects are magnificent and far exceeding expectation. It is truly a work of art and exceptionally directed by Matthew Vaughn. This movie goer doesn't doubt that "Stardust" will be in the running for several awards.

Now out on DVD, it is definitely one to put on your viewing list. "Stardust" is rated PG-13 for some violence and risque humor.

"Stardust" is a brilliant adaptation of the novel by the same name, written by Neil Gaiman. The official site for the movie can be viewed at http://www.stardustmovie.com/ (a worthwhile visit).