To catch a falling star

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2008)

Fantasy film-making is all the rage nowadays. Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings rekindled the public interest in magic, sword & sorcery, and now not a year goes by when we don't get a new fantasy epic wanting a piece of the action. Most have been bland disappointments, lacking in any magic, so its a rare treat to come across Stardust. One that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Stardust is based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, a man with a fine grasp of fantastical storytelling. After all, he did write the script for MirrorMask, a greatly underrated fantasy epic that should have found a far richer audience than it did. Directing the film is Matthew Vaughn, which is certainly a change of pace. His background has all been in Guy Ritchie's crime thrillers up until now. And co-writing the screenplay is Jane Goldman, making her debut as a screenwriter.
Stardust was sadly not a success. People may have thought it no different from the other fantasy films Hollywood churn out on a yearly basis. Which is a shame. Because it's a great entertainment. It has a fine cast. A wonderful script. And great music too. What more could anyone ask?
I will admit it is a bit slow to start. I always get restless through the first 15 minutes. Because it has to set up the different plot strands in the film. But once that's out of the way, Stardust really flies high. Local shop-boy Tristan (Charlie Cox) is in love with Victoria (Sienna Miller), the prettiest girl in the village. But she won't give him the time of day. So to get him out of her hair, she sets him an impossible task. She will agree to marry him, if he brings back a shooting star they see in the sky one night. And Tristan being the lovesick fool that he is, eagerly agrees.
But this star is more than a star. She's a girl called Yvaine (Claire Danes), knocked out of the sky by a necklace from the King of Stormhold (Peter O'Toole). On his deathbed, the King sets his sons an equally arduous task. The first son to bring back the necklace will inherit the throne. And the witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) wants the star as well. To regain her youth and beauty. But which one of them will reach Yvaine first?
Compared to the dreary likes of Eragon and The Golden Compass, Stardust is a real magic delight. The film is perhaps overplotted, but Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman do an excellent job of keeping each story in flight. In fact that was what I enjoyed most about the film. Watching the different characters and their different agendas all interweaving with one another. It may take a few viewings for you to get a proper grasp of the narrative, which may explain its low box-office reception, but once its worked its magic over you, Stardust will always have a place in your heart.
The book was a very enjoyable read, and quite a few of Neil Gaiman's touches have made it into the film. The Babylon Candles that can take you anywhere you want just by thinking it. A flying pirate ship with sails that collects lightning from the storm clouds it encounters. Gaiman's imagination has a rich and frivolous spirit. All things that make Stardust heady entertainment.
There's some great casting too. Newcomer Charlie Cox does well as Tristan (it was Tristran in the book). Watching him go from a hapless shop-boy to a hardened fighter is fun. I predict he has a big future ahead of him. In a blonde wig and a flawless British accent, Claire Danes is a dead ringer for Gwyneth Paltrow. Danes is a little annoying to begin with. She makes Yvaine too whiny and shrill to ever be sympathetic. But eventually she tones it down and makes the part her own. Her slow discovery of what it means to be human. Simple pleasures like enjoying a bath and knowing love.
Even though this is Matthew Vaughn's second film, he's managed to bring together an eclectic cast. Michelle Pfeiffer impresses as Lamia. She always does well in more offbeat roles. And gives a great performance of calculated evil. Her British accent is good too, if a little affected. Its not quite as natural as Danes', but she's a worthy villainess. There's a surprise cameo from Ricky Gervais as a wheeler-dealer. Its not much more than an excuse to do his usual stand-up schtick on camera, but his ad-libs are so funny it seems churlish to complain.
I've never really liked Sienna Miller that much. She seems a bit full of herself. But since Victoria is supposed to be, it makes Miller right for the part. Mark Strong impressed me as Septimus, the youngest son of the King of Stormhold. Not just intimidating, he's funny at times too. The look on his face when he sees Robert De Niro in a petticoat is priceless. And its De Niro who steals the show as the swashbuckling, cross-dressing sky pirate Captain Shakespeare. Gleefully trashing his tough guy image, he hasn't had this much fun in a film since Meet the Parents. There was a Captain Shakespeare in the book, but having him as a closet cross-dresser. I don't know where that came from!
The ending is rather different from the book. Lamia just gave up originally, which was a bit implausible. So the film has to invent some things for a better ending. Some work, like Lamia's deception. Others feel a bit false. Like Tristan being the sole living heir to the throne of Stormhold. But I still enjoyed Stardust immensely. There's a wonderful, infectious joy to it all. Watching the various plots all converge on one another. Stardust shines as brightly as Yvaine's smile.