Stardust (Full Screen Edition)
by Matthew Vaughn
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alastair MacIntosh, Ben Barnes, Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, David KellyDirector: Matthew Vaughn
Brand: Paramount
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 127 minutes
Published: 2007-12-01
DVD Release Date: 2007-12-18
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Stardust (Full Screen Edition)
Movie Review: Five stars despite some internal conflict over the film
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a somewhat paradoxical review. On the one hand I give it five stars, which is easy considering how much I enjoyed it. On the other hand, I was continually perplexed about minor (and some major) deviations from the extraordinary Neil Gaiman book. (And let me digress for a second to say if you loved the movie but haven't read the book, the true thrill is yet to come -- I think Gaiman's book is arguably the best modern fairy story that has been written.) Any screenplay of necessity will depart some from the original novel. For one thing, a movie simply cannot express the rich detail that a novel can. For another, what works on the page doesn't always translate to the screen (a prime example is THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, which contained almost none of the magic that made the book so marvelous). I don't begrudge the screenwriters eliminating much of the book's detail. I'm simply perplexed why they changed things when there was no need to. Also, why they merely gesture at some of the most important things in the story. For instance, we learn that Tristan has the unusual gift of always knowing where he needs to go regardless of where he is. This is brought up once or twice in the movie, but in such a casual way that it can be missed by those unfamiliar with the book.
Still, while the movie departs from the book in unnecessary and not always successful ways, it nonetheless manages to be delightful on its own terms throughout. It never looks anything less than completely magical. Most of the characters are marvelously realized (with some minor caveats to be noted below). There are some really nice touches. And it never ceases to be completely engaging. I enjoyed the film from beginning to end, even while regretting some minor decisions throughout. For instance, I loved the touch in the novel that Yvain never completely recovers from her broken leg, but instead walks with a slight limp for the rest of her life. In the film Yvain heals completely before the halfway point in the film. And I lamented the loss of some supporting characters, such as the dwarf who accompanies Tristan early on in his trip outside Wall. I felt he was so much more important than the character who in the movie became Captain Shakespeare (my least favorite character in the film). I was, however, able to accept the very different ending to the movie. The ending of the novel was one of those cases where it was so much more literary and wouldn't have translated well to the screen.
Michelle Pfeiffer has been praised for her performance as the witch Lamia, and rightly so. Most of the supporting performers were very good. As a huge fan of THE OFFICE (both BBC and NBC) I got a huge kick out of Ricky Gervais essentially playing David Brent in historical costume. I was also bothered by a couple of performers. Charlie Cox did not tremendously impress me in the lead role as Tristan. In the novel Tristan is transformed from a mild, timid lad into someone fairly heroic. I never got the sense from Cox that that transformation had occurred. I also wasn't completely thrilled by Claire Danes as Yvain. I think she is very talented and quite beautiful, but I just don't think she had sufficiently delicate features for this role. Sarah Michelle Gellar was originally offered the role and I think she would have been perfect. In fact, if you look at the illustrated version of Gaiman's novel, Yvain there bears a striking resemblance to SMG. My understanding is that Sarah and her terrifically untalented husband have an understanding that each can take only one project a year that takes them out of LA, so that over the course of a year they are not apart from one another. Personally, I think Freddie should have given up his project to allow Sarah an extra one. Either that or she chose the wrong project to be away on. Since BUFFY her career has been in the dumps, but in this she would have been absolutely perfect, a role tailored for her. And I think Sarah Michelle Gellar would have brought a delicacy to the role that Danes did not.
Despite my misgivings, this is one of the best fantasy films of recent years, which is saying quite a bit since we have had an unusually fine group of fantasy films of late. Much of the credit has to go to director Matthew Vaughan, who previously had stylishly directed the very, very different LAYER CAKE. I thoroughly recommend this to anyone who enjoys film fantasy. But even more enthusiastically I recommend any fan of the movie to go on to read the Neil Gaiman novel as well. I honestly believe that Neil Gaiman is one of the great storytellers of his generation. He is only 47, yet he has already built of a body of work that surpasses most other top writers both in quantity and quality. He is rightly celebrated for his astonishing series of SANDMAN graphic novels, but he has also written some superb novels, stories, and tales. Reading STARDUST would be an excellent introduction to his spectacular body of work.
Summary of Stardust (Full Screen Edition)
Escape into the enchanted world of chivalry and romance in Stardust, an epic tale starring Claire Danes with Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro. In hopes of wooing a beautiful girl (Sienna Miller), Tristan (Charlie Cox) promises to bring her a falling star. But he?s in for the adventure of his life when he discovers the star is actually a celestial beauty named Yvaine (Danes) When an old witch Lamia (Pfeiffer) attempts to steal Yvaine?s youth, Tristan must protect her at all costs, in this magical family adventure that will make you fall in love over and over again.Similar DVD Movies
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