Quirky Romantic Fantasy

Rating: 9/10 (18 September 2007)

"Stardust" is the most enjoyable movie I've seen in years. I like the fact that it's hard to categorize. I'd call it a romantic-comedy-fantasy-adventure. There is exciting action. There is a fairly standard romance. There aren't any belly laughs, but plenty of good chuckles.
I noticed several years ago while watching "The World According To Garp" with my family, that it makes a great difference who you watch a movie with. The first time I saw that movie was with a theater full of possibly inebriated college students. It was great fun. With my family, parents, sister etc., it was almost bad because they weren't into it at all. I saw "Stardust" with my wife. I think the hand holding and snuggling during the movie added a lot to the enjoyment. If you can, see it with someone you love. I think you can enjoy it alone or with friends, but it's better with a significant other.
There are a lot a familiar faces on this movie. I found that somewhat distracting. Captain Shakespeare was the only character I found to seem somewhat unreal. I think I detected De Niro "acting".
The visual effects seemed natural. Sure it's a fantasy, but the filmmakers didn't make the mistake of overpowering the story with flashy effects. The characters are believable. While most of them live in a fantastical, magical world, they still behave as real people would in those circumstances. Except for De Niro I didn't notice any "acting".
Bring a date - Enjoy!