Salt Lake Tribune Review
By Sean P. Means
The Salt Lake Tribune
The makers of "Stardust" must have wished upon a star and said, "Please let our movie be this generation's 'The Princess Bride.' "
Alas, you don't always get what you wish for. "Stardust" may fall short of the fairy-tale grandeur and humor of
Rob Reiner's 1987 classic, but it has plenty of charms of its own.
The hero of the story is Tristan (
Charlie Cox), a poor English shopboy eager to impress the rich and shallow Victoria (
Sienna Miller). When they see a shooting star, he vows to retrieve it for her on the other side of the wall near the village. Tristan learns from his father (
Nathaniel Parker) that the wall is the boundary of a magical world, Stormhold, where Tristan's mother, Una (Kate Magowan), lives.
Tristan finds the star, which takes the gorgeous but argumentative human form of Yvaine (
Claire Danes). But others in Stormhold want the star, too. The dying king (
Peter O'Toole) knocked the star out of the sky with a ruby, telling his ruthless sons - who are usually busy killing each other - that the "person of royal blood" who retrieves the jewel will take the throne. The star also attracts the notice of three decrepit witches, led by Lamia (
Michelle Pfeiffer), who want to eat Yvaine's heart to achieve everlasting youth.
The story, based on a novel by
Neil Gaiman ("Mirrormask," Coraline) and adapted by director
Matthew Vaughn ("Layer Cake") and co-writer
Jane Goldman (a British TV presenter), has a delightful "everything but the kitchen sink" quality that brings in transporting candles, flying pirates, a transmogrified goat and other imaginative touches. The humor is droll and plentiful, with funny turns by
Robert De Niro as a pirate captain,
Ricky Gervais as a double-talking trader and
Rupert Everett as part of a Greek chorus of the king's murdered sons.
Vaughn has trouble kicking the movie into gear, jumping from subplot to subplot with a little too much faith in its own whimsy. But when the story gets rolling in the second half, and appearances by De Niro and Gervais provoke big laughs, "Stardust" begins to shine.
Synopsis: In the sleepy English village of Wall--so named for the cobblestone divider that has, for hundreds of years, kept the villagers safely apart from the strange, supernatural realm that lies just on the other side--young Tristan Thorne makes a wild-eyed promise to the prettiest girl in the village. It is hers, whose heart he hopes to win: by bringing her back a fallen star. But in order to make good on his promise, Tristan will have to cross the forbidden wall, and enter a mysterious kingdom lit by unending magic, and holding legends of which he will quickly become a part. In this fantastical realm known as Stormhold, Tristan discovers that the fallen star is not the meteorite he expected, but a beautiful, spirited young woman injured by her cosmic tumble. Now, she is in terrible danger--sought after by the King''s scheming sons for whom only her secret powers can secure the throne; and, as well, hunted by a chillingly powerful witch desperate to use the star to achieve eternal youth and beauty. As Tristan sets out to protect the star and bring her back to his beloved on the other side of the wall, his journey will bring unforeseen romance, highflying adventure, and incredible encounters with a pirate captain, a shady trader, and an enchanted unicorn among other surprises. But if he can survive on his wits and the strength of his newfound love, Tristan will also uncover the secret to his own identity, and a fate beyond his wildest dreams.
