Stardust

In the sleepy town of Wall, so named for the mysterious wall that separates the world of fact and the world of fantasy, a land called Stormhold, a boy named Dunstan Thorne (Ben Barnes) crosses the forbidden border and has a one-night stand with a salve princess: his son, Tristen, is delivered to him by the keeper of the wall shortly after his birth. Futilely trying to woo the object of his affection, Victoria (Sienna Miller), he promises to catch the falling star they see fall and bring it back before her birthday in order to ask for her hand. He journeys into Stormhold in search for the star; little does he know that the star is a beautiful girl, Yvane (Claire Danes,) and not just a rock. And he's not the only one looking for it, Prince Septimus of Stormhold (Mark Strong) and a witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfiffer,) are also hunting for her, intending to kill her and remove her heart to consume it. Befriending a queerish pirate called Shakespeare (Robert Di Niro,) Tristen discovers what love is all about, having the adventure of a lifetime and becomes a man along the way.

Seasoned with rock-solid performances and a wickedly hilarious cast (including a sidesplitting performance by Mark Williams (of Harry Potter fame) as a literal man-goat), Stardust is truly a fantastic story, in every way. Fairy tales are tricky stories as they require a formula, adhere to genre rules, have a great cast of characters, as well as coming up with something unique with a clever twist. This one has it all, including blue blood for our royal family. This one has sword fights, lightning pirates, witches, magic and murder most foul. And it's brilliant, captivating from the beginning 'til the flourish of the plot twist.

The storytelling is done so well in this film, with brilliant filmmaking trade-craft. Especially good is the pirate ship montage at the midpoint, confidently shot, cropped and scored to keep the pacing of the story, relieving the boredom that happens in the midpoint of most movies. Also helpful is the ballistic nature of Mark Strong's Septimus, creating a percussive force that rocks the boat in a violent and dramatic pulse. I'm also tickled by the humor afforded Robert Di Niro's Captain Shakespeare. This character development deepens the plot and adds depth to the setting and credibility to the land created; like Tolkein's MIddle Earth, it's a place believable and attractive to visit and making all the characters real. Fantasy worlds must be carefully created and each inch and surface must be planned out and calculated; Stardust is constructed with the greatest care in development, creating a timeless story which delights and moves its audience.

Stardust is beautiful, stunning, fabulous and performs with finesse. It ranks high on the my list of the greatest fairy tales in film. In the top ten alongside Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty. It's the kind of tale that could come out of The Arabian Nights or Grimm's Fairy Tales. I'm impressed every time I pop it in the DVD player. And I highly recommend it to anyone who borrows movies from my library, it's just so much fun!!

****

IN: Claire Danes

OUT: Mark Strong

Coming Soon: The Young Victoria