Originally Reviewed
Thursday May 29, 2008
Thursday May 29, 2008
One genre of film that we seem to be sorely lacking is the romantic fantasy. We've been deluged with fantasy films over the past decade but writers seem to veer from mixing in romance, something that would be nice for a change since the romantic comedy genre has become so stale. Sadly enough Stardust is the first romantic fantasy film that I can recall since The Princess Bride in 1987! Ironically, Stardust has even been described as the "new" The Princess Bride, but lucky for me I ended up enjoying it a lot more than that horrendously overrated film.
Stardust stars Charlie Cox as Tristan, a young man whose love for a stuck-up privileged girl named Victoria leads him to travel over the wall to a magical land in order to bring her back a shooting star. Victoria has agreed to marry him if he returns with the star within one week (sounds like true love to me). What Tristan discovers is a girl named Yvaine (Claire Daines) at the impact point of the crater and realizes that she is the star. How he plans on giving Yvaine to his "beloved" Victoria is rather unclear, but he takes her captive and begins the journey back to his village.
Unfortunately for Tristan he's not the only person searching for Yvaine. As it seems the heart of a falling star is very much sought after and powerful, especially by the witches who use it to enhance their powers. To make matters worse Tristan and Yvaine get mixed up in a royal rivalry between a group of princes who are searching for a jewel which will determine who will be the next King; a jewel that happens to be in the possession of Yvaine. And to make matters worse throughout their adventure Tristan begins to realize what true love is as he begins to have feelings for Yvaine, feelings that appear to be more genuine than the "love" he has for Victoria.
Stardust was a nice surprise; I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Other than the overly expansive run-time and De Niro's bizarre role as a cross dressing pirate I don't have much too complain about. I thought Claire Daines gave a great performance, it's the first film I've seen her in a role that I can say that. Michelle Pfeiffer is entertaining as well and amazingly looks like she hasn't aged in 15 years. The story is interesting and not too juvenile and the action sequences were nicely done. If you’re into fantasy films with a romantic edge, definitely check this one out.
8/10
I found this to be a pleasant surprise as well, quite enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteLove this one! Gets better w/subsequent viewings. I was actually forced to purchase it, which I don't do often. Highly recommend the book as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm somewhere in the middle when it comes to STARDUST. It didn't amaze me and it didn't bore me. The young actors were charming, but there was just something lacking in the directorial vision - something special, something unique, something to spice the fantasy all up.
ReplyDeleteBut what I hated in this movie was the appalling performance of Robert de Niro which was extremely pompous, egocentric and obnoxious. I've never liked him as an actor, but this performance was truly horrible.
What I adored about STARDUST was the closing song from TAKE THAT. I just go soft whenever I hear the first lines of that song :)
@Dezmond - I've never been a big De Niro fan myself, probably because he seems to play the same type of hard-nosed character. I've never seen a whole lot range in his characters. And his role in Stardust was simply bizarre, so I'll agree with you on that.
ReplyDeleteI like when we agree :PPP I forgot to say that those two women who played Michelle's witch sisters in the movie were very entertaining :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed it every step of the way. I too was surprised that it was so good. Deniro was funny in my book!
ReplyDeleteNeil Gaiman certainly understands what makes a good fantasy tale. I hope he continues making fantasy movies, so far he has this one and Mirrormask to his credit. To awesome fantasy flicks!
Good assessment! I really love this and I'd say it's one of my favorite fantasy films. The story is epic but with that personal touch Gaiman can give as a writer, and the cast is splendid. I recommend the book as well, which doesn't feature De Niro's character.
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