 "Wonderful! Funny! Romantic! Bound to be a Classic!" | 2009-10-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2AQKE05Z71FIH |
Stardust, the movie, is based on a book by one of the most imaginative writers on the planet, Neil Gaiman. He is the author of the more recent book made into movie, Coraline and the Newbury Award-winning author of The Graveyard Book. He is clearly a writer to watch.
Not having read the book, Stardust, I can't say how closely the movie follows the book, but there is no doubt that this movie bears the imprint of Gaiman's marvelous imagination. The movie is wonderfully engaging and very, very funny. Robert DiNiro's pirate portrayal alone is worth the price of admission and at least equal to Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow in laugh-out-loud humor. (But be patient: the humorous aspect of DiNiro's pirate character builds slowly.) Michelle Pfieffer is also great in this movie.
My understanding is that this movie only did moderately well when it hit the theatres, but I predict that like Wizard of Oz or the more similar Princess Bride, this sleeper is going to be a word-of-mouth classic: "Have you ever seen...?" "You need to see..." "One of the funniest I've ever seen..." etc. This is a great movie, light-hearted, fun, suitable for adults, teens, and kids about 10 and up. Two thumbs up and two big toes up! Don't miss this. |
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| "Typical Gaiman Wildly Original" | 2009-09-19 |
| - Reviewed By joeomar |
This just HAS to be the most underrated movie of 2007 (although I noticed it DID make many reviewers end-of-the-year Top 10 list). The movie is based on a Neil Gaiman novel, so it's typically wildy creative. It follows the story of Tristran Thorn, who lives in the rural England town of Wall. Wall has a wall on one side that separates it from the magical kingdom of Stormhold (in the land of Faerie, although I don't think the movie uses that word). At the bequest of his "true love", Tristran crosses the wall to retrieve a fallen star; however when Tristran gets to the star he finds out it is a beautiful young woman who was knocked out of the sky by a flying gemstone on a necklace. Meanwhile, also searching for the star are the surviving sons of the old King (because the owner of the gemstone inherits Stormhold) and the Queen of the Witches (because the heart of a star confers youth and long life - when eaten).
This makes for a pretty exciting action film, a cross between an adventure fantasy and a romance. I've seen it compared to Princess Bride but I don't agree; Princess Bride is really a pure comedy and this is NOT, although it certainly has some humor in it (I liked this movie far more than Princess Bride). The acting is across the board excellent; Michelle Pfeiffer is gorgeous (and also hideous in just the right way), Claire Danes is terrific as the star Yvaine (she has a moderately long soliloquy on the nature of love, which I at least found fairly moving), and Robert DeNiro does an excellent job in possibly the strangest role he's ever performed. The storyline is excellent, with a terrific climax and a moving ending.
The movie is gorgeously done with impressive scenery and visuals, and a really outstanding soundtrack. This movie came out when Paramount was in the "HD DVD" camp, and they have NOT released it on blu-ray. This is exactly the kind of movie that NEEDS high-def; I notice some of the blu-ray boards saying it should be coming out soon, I sure hope so.
BTW, I read Neil Gaiman's book AFTER seeing the movie (the text-only book, he also issued it as a graphic novel). The first part of the movie follows the book faithfully, although the book has more characters and scenes in it. However, the movie departs quite significantly from the book beginning at the appearance of Robert DeNiro's "Captain Shakespeare" character (who is not in the book at all). Somewhat surprisingly, I think the movie's storyline is quite a bit better than the book; it wraps up the story quite nicely whereas the book just sort of gradually drifts to a gentle ending. |
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| "This movie is top notch!" | 2009-09-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2GZHHVWC7K6WU |
| Stardust is amazing. It's full of adventure, the characters are wonderful, my kids LOVE IT and we could watch it over and over again and never get tired of it!!! |
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 "A quaint fairy-tale adventure" | 2009-09-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1OKFQ8GH04Y |
Director Matthew Vaugn's "Stardust" provides a fun and quaint adventure, though the plot feels a little like several mini-adventures loosely tied together.
The story - based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and written for the screen by Jane Goldman and Vaughn - is something of a fantasy-imbued fairy tale. Young Tristan (Charlie Cox) vows to bring back a fallen star to Victoria (Sienna Miller) in hopes of winning her love. He travels to a neighboring secret world, where he meets the Yvaine (Claire Daines), the star herself; Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), a pirate infamous for his evil deeds; Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), an evil witch seeking eternal youth, which can be obtained by eating the heart of a fallen star; among others.
The story's both funny and exciting. At times, it seems as if there's a series of great sequences that don't relate to one another very well. Tristan and Victoria's sojourn with Captain Shakespeare, for example, somewhat separates the viewer from the larger story, yet it's still quite entertaining. And, in the end, it's all part of the larger journey, with some minor detours.
The world is imaginative, and Ben Davis' cinematography combined with Gavin Bocquet's production design help add to the beautiful wonder. In this world, stars become human but with a special power that makes many humans envious. Powerful magic creates detailed illusions. Large boats float among the clouds in the sky, where lightning is collected and sold. Sure, there's similarities to other works of fantasy, but there's enough different here to make it seem pretty unique.
Daines is quite good, showing a woman who, at first, is a little haughty and quite annoyed about being knocked from her place in the sky, however, she soon finds a way to open up her heart. She believes and true and unconditional love, seeing it as humans' one redeeming quality. "I know a lot about love. I've seen centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable," she says, and Daines sell it nicely.
Cox does OK. His part mostly seems of one note, a man clueless about love but determined to find it. He does play that note well enough, though, and there are moments of a multi-layered performance. Another stronger actor might have done a much better job with this role, making the love more real, but Cox doesn't bring down the show either.
Pfeiffer is quite enjoyable as the evil witch, showing pride, vanity and determination. She's disgusted by those she sees as less than herself, which is pretty much everybody. And she's also infuriated as her temporary youth enchantment begins to wear off, and parts of the old, ugly woman she really is starts to show through.
De Niro's very funny, trying hard to appear ruthless because he has a reputation he must live up to. And he's also got a secret that there's more to this evil pirate captain than one might think, and it's a secret that may very well bring lots of giggles. It's certainly not De Niro's best work, but he does it with charm and dignity that it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role.
Sure, "Stardust" gets a little sappy at times, which for some may be a bad thing. But it makes up for that with a good dose of humor, fun adventures and wonderful imagery. And the plot may feel like it was pieced together in a rush, but each of those pieces add a charming element to the tale that would be a shame to lose. |
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| "LOVED IT!!!" | 2009-08-02 |
| - Reviewed By romantic-liar |
| I'm not going to rehash or summarize the movie. That's been done. I just wanted to give this movie a thumbs up. Every singel person in it is perfect for their respective roles. It is one of the most enchanting movies I've ever seen and I simply loved it. The actors were great, the special effects were stunning, and the story was wonderful. I especially liked the character development of Tristan. It is shown both physically and emotionally. Super nice job one and all and thank you Neil Gaiman for a story that leaves me sated every time I watch it. |
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| "Stardust Shines Brightly (sorry - this review just writes itself!)" | 2009-07-01 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3VW6IIWAOO7SA |
| Do yourself a favor and watch this movie. Although a fantasy, it is so much more with wonderful performances from all leads. A Star comes to Earth and what occurs next (and throughout the film) is unpredictable (well, for the most part), very funny and touching. I think likeable characters are essential for a film of this type to work - check! |
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