Worthy unconventional fairy tale that should have been closer to the book

Rating: 7/10 (24 May 2009)

Let's start by saying I loved the book by Neil Gaiman and recommended it often. Stardust was a very good fantasy movie in the vein of the Princess Bride with its whimsical tone and romantic aspects. Deniro was great fun in his pirate role that wasn't even in the book! As a matter of fact, all the actors were excellent. I wish that they had more fantastical creatures (like the book) and especially that they had not changed the ending of the book, it would have made it much more memorable. A few tweaks here and there, closer adherence to the original source material and it would have been a great classic for the ages. Tim Burton would have been perfect to direct this as I'm sure the original book would have appealed very much to his sensibilities. However, it was a worthy effort nevertheless. It's definitely worth a rental and a purchase if you like fantasy movies with romantic overtones.
Rating: 7 out of 10