Very entertaining and enjoyable movie

Rating: 9/10 (15 April 2008)

Stardust is a wonderful, wonderful movie that I was privileged to see when it came out in theaters. I was a little skeptical at first because of the title, but my mind changed about 2 minutes into the film. The story is great, the acting is great, and the movie is put together very well.
The main story revolves around Tristan, a young man who lives in a village that borders a magical kingdom called Stormhold. When he sees a falling star, he tells the woman of his dreams that he will travel and retrieve the star if she will marry him. When he travels out for the star, he isn't fully aware of what kind of realm Stormhold is. When he reaches the fallen star, it turns out to be a woman by the name of Yvaine. Throughout the movie, many dangers beset them, including a group of witches who also seek to capture fallen stars.
Amazingly the plot is not really predictable, which is rare with this year's movies. There are many elements that twist the story up a little bit throughout the movie, and for the most part they all fit very well into the setting and genre. There's a nice blend of drama, comedy, and action throughout the whole film. The acting is pretty good as well. Charlie Cox does well as Tristan, and you can see his character slowly mature and evolve as the story moves along. Claire Danes acts well and looks absolutely gorgeous as Yvaine, the fallen star. Michelle Phieffer also gives an amazing performance as the head witch after Yvaine.
One thing to beware of and consider before letting your kids see this movie, though, is the tendency of violence as well as references to violence. There are several stabbings and murders in the movie, and there is constant reference to cutting out and eating the heart of a star(Yvaine). there are some sword fights as well. The overall tone of violence is not really strong, but something to think about.
I give this movie a 9/10. This is a great fantasy movie that is not very predictable and has many interesting elements to it.