Theatrical Review of Stardust

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If you're a fan of the whimsical, often satiric fantasy books of author Neil Gaiman ("Coraline," "Neverwhere," "InterWorld," and the hugely comical "Good Omens," among others), you'll enjoy "Stardust," the 2007 adaptation from director Matthew Vaughn ("Layer Cake"). For me, it was one of the most-entertaining films of the summer, everything that "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates 3" should have been but weren't.

Think of "The Princess Bride" on an even bigger scale or "Shrek" in live action or Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" or "The Brothers Grimm" with similar laughs. "Stardust" is well crafted, well constructed (albeit overambitious), well produced, and well acted. It's a traditional yet gently amusing quest yarn, spectacular, adventurous, and romantic. While the filmmakers handle some of the characters and action tongue in cheek, they treat just as much or more of the film as a straight fairy tale, so you get to have your cake and eat it, too. Yes, it is also sprawling, biting off perhaps a bit more of its cake than it can chew, but the result is almost always engaging. I began smiling a few minutes into the picture, and I ended smiling. One could hardly ask for more.

The story takes place in two distinct worlds, one real and the other magical. They exist side by side in mid nineteenth-century England, separated by only a rock wall. Indeed, the name of the real town nearest the wall is, fittingly enough, Wall; and on the other side is the enchanted kingdom of Stormhold. People from the two worlds are not supposed to intermingle. The things that go on in these separate universes are a bit complex, with any number of colorful characters running through a plot that goes in several directions, but I'll try to be brief.

Young Dunstan Thorn (Ben Barnes), a normal human, sneaks across the wall one night, visits a young woman there (Kate Magowan), and returns home. Nine months later, the guard at the wall delivers a baby to Dunstan's doorstep, the fruit of the night's fling with the beguiling lady. Eighteen years pass, and the baby grows up to become a shopkeeper, Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox), madly in love with a local, and quite superficial, lass, Victoria (Sienna Miller). One night, he and Victoria see a shooting star fall to Earth, and he promises the girl he'll prove his love by retrieving the star just for her.

Now, here's the thing. The star is no mere heavenly body that has fallen to Earth; it's a celestial person, a beautiful young woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes), and near her is a necklace and crystal. But it's not just Tristran who's out to find her. At the same time, the old King of Stormhold (Peter O'Toole) is dying, and he has promised his kingdom to the one of this seven sons who can retrieve the stone. Well, the sons are so evil and conniving that three of them have already died at the hands of their siblings, and the others are soon to follow, leaving only one son, Septimus (Mark Strong), to recover the crystal and declare himself King. The other brothers hang around as a kind of comic, ghostly chorus.

But, wait, that's not all. There are also three wicked witches itching to get their hands on the celestial girl's heart, because they're all hundreds of years old and look it. The living heart of the girl Yvaine, cut warm from her body, will make them young again; and the most cunning sister, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), goes to claim it.

So, that's it then. You've got the beautiful young star child, Yvaine; the handsome young hero, Tristran; the nefarious brother, Septimus; and the even more nefarious witch, Lamia. And they're all after either the girl or the crystal or both.

Given the number of high-profile actors in the film, you'd think it would have to be good, but we've all learned better on that score from too many previous failures. Fortunately, this time it works. The actors are not thrown around willy-nilly, simply to be seen; their characters, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, are memorable, well characterized, and genuinely significant to the story. The two leads are most appealing, Charlie Cox and Claire Danes a delight, everything you could want in youthful innocence, spirit, naïveté, and attractiveness. As the head witch, Pfeiffer is ideal, the actress getting better and better as she gets older. I saw her just a few nights before in "Hairspray," where she was deliciously vile, and here she's just as good, her natural beauty and her dark wit both coming into play. As the old, dying King, O'Toole has only a small part, but he plays it with a sly wink. Likewise, as the surviving brother and heir to the throne, Strong makes an appropriate cad.

But, did I say "wait, that's not all"? Well, that's not all. As the King's other six sons, the dead ones now spirits, we have Jason Flemying, Rupert Everett, Mark Heap, Julian Rhind-Tutt, David Walliams, and Adam Buxton. Then, we've got Nathaniel Parker as the older Dunstan Thorn, the father of our hero. And Ricky Gervais as Ferdie the Fence (a funny fellow made all the funnier with the voice of a chicken; you gotta see it). And, saving the best for last, Robert De Niro as Captain Shakespeare, an eccentric pirate chief with more than a few surprises up his sleeve. The filmmakers wrap up the whole thing by casting no less than Ian McKellan as the narrator.

The humor is often subtle but mostly comical, laughable, and certainly witty. The adventure is continual (and sometimes quite exciting). The romance is sweet and affecting (and what could be more passionate than a lovely maiden declaring her love to a mouse). The visuals are always a pleasure (the Scottish, English, and Icelandic countrysides used to good effect, as well as the creative CGI). Moreover, the pace never slackens for a moment (despite the screen often being crowded with a good deal of busywork).

If you find the sum of the movie somewhat less than the parts themselves, so be it. One could make a persuasive argument that Neil Gaiman has a multitude of inventive ideas floating around in his head and can't restrain himself from putting too many of them into a single narrative. Consequently, "Stardust" is an episodic story, yet most fairy tales are, filled with one daring escapade after another. Just be glad this one carries you away on its flights of fancy rather than leaving you earthbound or puzzling over just what happened or bored by constant, needless motion and loud, unnecessary sound.

"Stardust" rather sneaked up on me this summer, without a lot of fanfare, TV promos, or full-page ads. It won me over the old-fashioned way, by simply being fun.

And what do you mean, "Do they live happily ever after?" As Captain Shakespeare might say, "Haaarrrrrr...."

8/10

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