You'd Better Believe it's Better than the Book!

Rating: 10/10 (12 September 2008)

I bought the book Stardust after seeing a trailer for the movie; I had previously glanced over the novel in bookstores but never bought it, however, the trailer was so well-done I thought I'd better read it before the film came out. I was pleased with the plot, but everything else was sadly lacking - it seemed half-finished, almost like an early draft as far as character development goes. And, though it is supposed to be a romantic fairy tale, the primary romance is bordering on non-existent until the last couple of chapters; the climax was HORRIBLY boring and the novel was much too much too short. When I rented the movie I wasn't entirely sure if I'd like it, as films are never as good as the book and the book, for me, was wanting.
Oh, joy! The movie rocked!
Personally, I think that the actors were all chosen perfectly and that the director did a superb job with the sets and costumes and (most important for me) improving the climactic scenes tenfold. And, even aside from comparisons, the film was, on it's own, brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable.
The story begins in the English village of Wall, where a wall (no duh) that is guarded 24/7 is the only barrier between our world and the magical world of Stormhold. In the beginning, Dunstan Thorne travels over the wall to go sight-seeing in a magical marketplace, where he meets a mysterious slave-girl who claims to be a princess. They spend a few secluded hours together, and then Dunstan leaves. Nine months later, a baby is left for him at the wall, with a note saying that it is his son, Tristan.
18 years later, Tristan is in love with a girl called Victoria, who constantly slights him for Humphrey, a suave and sophisticated bully. But Tristan still persists, until he swears to bring Victoria a fallen star in exchange for her hand in marriage. She consents, and Tristan crosses the wall and finds his prize, only to discover that in Stormhold,stars aren't clumps of rock or gas, but celestial beings - and that he now has to deal with the feisty and beautiful Yvaine, instead of an inanimate object.
On top of that, three witches are searching for the star so they can cut out her heart and eat it, to regain their lost youth and beauty, and two princes are involved in a race to the death for the necklace Yvaine carries, for whomever can turn it red again is king of Stormhold. Soon, Tristan and the star are not only running back to Wall, but running for their lives.
I suggest reading the book first, only so that you may truly see how it differs - perhaps you will agree with me, perhaps not, but either way, it's a terrific, fun, must-see!