A fun fantasy movie.

Rating: 7/10 (6 August 2010)

"What do stars do? They shine."
Sky pirates. Blood-thirsty (actually, heart-hungry) witches. Fallen stars. Murderous princes. Action, humor, and all the romance that anyone should require. Stardust is an entertaining fantasy adventure film that has it all, and should appease any fan of the genre.
Matthew Vaughn's second directorial effort is quite different from the work he did before and after it (the excellent Layer Cake and Kick-Ass, respectively), and it proves that he can make a good movie in nearly any genre. This adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name follows our young hero Tristan (Charlie Cox) as he follows a falling star to another world, in order to bring it back as a gift for the woman he wants to marry.
It's not that simple of course, as Tristan finds the star to be not a mere celestial rock, but a young woman (Claire Danes). A very uncooperative young woman, and one who is also being sought by three witch sisters and a prince, who all wish to kill her for her immortal heart. As you can probably guess, that scenario has adventure written all over it.
Stardust has a very definite Princess Bride vibe. If that movie's mix of action, humor, romance, and colorful characters (Robert De Niro has a ball as a rather unique pirate, and Michelle Pfeiffer and Ricky Gervais also steal every scene they're in) appealed to you, then you're in luck. I honestly can't come up with many reasons why someone wouldn't like this, unless you're just not a fan of Gaiman's book or the genre as a whole. I found it to be charming and fun.