Mildly entertaining

Rating: 6/10 (28 November 2007)

Stardust is the story of Tristan Thorn, a young man who sets off on a journey to a land of magic and adventure to bring back a fallen star as a token of his love to the girl he wishes to marry. On the contrary to his expectations, the star isn't just a lump of rock, but a vibrant young girl, who reluctantly has to follow Tristan back to his home village, while she's also hunted by an evil witch, who needs the star to restore her youth, and a number of power-hungry princes, battling each other for the throne of their kingdom.
Based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, Stardust is an adventurous fantasy movie slightly unlike other recent films of the same genre. It draws its inspiration from English folklore, which gives it a fresh touch and original enough a setting. However, the movie fails to capture the spirit of the book that was originally Neil Gaiman's take on classic fairy tales - fairy tales as they were before they were sanitized by Perrault, eventually Disney. It's an honest fairy tale for adults, following the classic pattern of the coming-of-age story of a young man through a quest, without the sugar-coating seen in the kid-friendly re-tellings of stories that weren't originally even aimed for children. This is something director Michael Vaughn appears to have missed, having turned the story into something that resembles action-packed family movies more than the fables the book imitates.
I have mixed feelings about the casting. Charlie Cox is likable enough as the hero of this modern fairy tale, but Claire Danes just isn't convincing as the stubborn star girl, unable to channel the extra-terrestrial earthiness that made the book character so interesting. Sienna Miller, on the other hand, steals all of her few scenes as the spoiled Victoria, giving such a delicious little performance that I wished she had been casted in the leading role instead of Danes. Ricky Gervais and Robert De Niro both have remarkably unfunny supporting roles, at least compared to their usual standard, whereas Mark Strong really caught my eye as the sinister prince Septimus. The real star of Stardust, however, is without doubt Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays the beautiful wicked witch Lamia, easily outshining her co-stars with her charismatic performance and cool charm.
Overall, Stardust is mildly entertaining and passable, but not really outstanding in any way. It has a few action scenes too many, a climactic yet tremendously boring final battle that seems to drag on forever, and a leading romantic couple that lacks the chemistry required for the viewer to be genuinely interested in the fate of their relationship. The quality of the film would have improved a great deal if at least half an hour of it had been left on the floor of the cutting room.