A fairy tale to make you believe in fairy tales again

Rating: 7/10 (4 October 2008)

I've had this film recommended to me far too many times to count, but have always found an excuse to put off watching it - I've got exams coming up I must revise for, I'm going out tonight and need to get ready, I don't have the money to spend on DVDs at the moment. However, I found this in Woolworths for £8 a few days back, and having no other plans to keep me occupied I decided to buy it and finally see what all the fuss was about.
The story follows Tristan (the result of a one night stand his father had with a imprisoned princess he met across the wall), who, in attempt to capture the heart of the girl he thinks he's in love with, promises to cross the wall to find a fallen star and bring it back to her before her birthday (time limit - 7 days). What he doesn't count on however was that the star would be a person, ad that darker forces were also after her and her necklace with far more sinister intentions.
He also didn't realise that he may just fall in love with her.
It's a classic fairy tale, witches, princes, heroes and heroines, but whether it's because I've been out of touch with fairy tales these past few years, or due to something special in regards to the film and the story, I really enjoyed watching Stardust, and became swept along with the story - I especially liked the idea of the falling star being a person, capable of falling in love.
The character of Tristan is incredibly lovable, and you find yourself rooting for him right from the start. Charlie Cox portrayed the character brilliantly, believably, allowing the viewers to connect with this unlikely (so therefore rather typical) hero. Although Clare Danes looked the part of a star, I failed to be impressed with her portrayal of Yvaine, and wondered whether they could have made her character even slightly more likable, and believable. But my favourite performance by far belongs to Michelle Pfieffer as Lamia. There's not much I can say really to capture how brilliantly Pfieffer portrays this character, but this is one of the classic cases were you really can't tell an actors playing a role at all, but believe the performance totally.
The film isn't really anything special or unique, its a classic story, it's fun, it's scary (for the kids), it's entertaining - yet, it really works, perhaps because it ticks all the boxes of a classic fairytale. Make no mistake, this isn't one to remain in people's lists of top 10 films for years to come, but I am glad to have finally watched Stardust and would recommend to everyone to at least give it a try. There's a certain charm this film possesses, and I found, that at least for a little while, I was transported back to being a kid again, swept away with the story, rooting for the hero to win, the villain to lose, and the guy to finally get the girl.