Stardust
Every aspect of the movie works as well or better than should be expected.
Review by Sirus

“Stardust” is an epic fantasy movie based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman. The story appears to be that of a boy and his journey into adulthood but it’s a lot more than that with multiple plotlines intertwining for the duration of the movie. To start out we have a boy named Tristan who grows up in a small town bordering a wall. Local folklore says that the wall separates them from another world that exists on the other side. To prevent residents from wandering where they don’t belong, a guard is posted around the clock. Tristan is developing an interest in one of the local girls, Victoria, and doing his best to win her heart in whatever way possible. One night while they are sharing a romantic evening of champagne, a blue light flashes through the sky in the distance. Tristan promises Victoria that he will cross the wall to get the star for her in exchange for her hand in marriage.

Before Tristan sets off on his own journey of discovery, we are introduced to four brothers in line for the throne in the parallel world who need to cut their numbers down to one so that one can be the next king. Each of them is searching for the star because a stone that only the heir can activate is believed to be connected to the star’s falling. Finally, three old, vain, witches see the star falling and want it so they can look young again. Each of these characters meets once or twice during their quest to obtain the star for selfish reasons.

The actors all do a great job in their roles. Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro both have fitting roles that they play wonderfully. The main cast, made up of lesser known names, manages to be likable and their performances come off as genuine. The main romance throughout the movie is well developed and gives the movie an extra magical touch. The script of the movie is as fantastic as they come and keeps most of the dialogue interesting with more laughs than the average comedy. The music by Ilan Eshkeri adds to the movie perfectly and stands on its own as well. The tunes were quite reminiscent of the beautiful Lady in the Water soundtrack that has been showing up in movie trailers left and right these days. The movie does make use of a familiar classical tune during one scene but it fits in so perfectly it’s hard to knock.

Overall, every aspect of the movie works as well or better than should be expected and there was hardly a dull moment from start to finish. The movie was also quite dark, a welcome change from the more kid-oriented fantasy that tends to show up in Hollywood. All the dark scenes were pulled off well with no blood at all but still kept exciting. There are just little things throughout that jump out at you because they are so unexpected and at the same time perfectly fitting. Anyone who loves a good fantasy movie should go see “Stardust” as soon as possible because it is truly a magical experience. So rarely does a fantasy movie make as much sense and work so well that it doesn’t come off as cheesy.

Final Score: 5/5