Take That!

Rating: Null/10 (1 August 2007)

Loved the movie--it was wonderful! Such a joy to go to a sneak preview with no expectations and find such an enjoyable film. I thought Charlie Cox did a great job as Tristran, going from ordinary "lad" to King--it was a joy to see. Michelle Pfeiffer gave another great performance as the villain--I've loved her performances for a long time (e.g., Married to the Mob, Jonathan Demme, director). Claire Danes was good as well, though Charlie Cox is the one that has the great story arc, and it was his performance that makes the movie work (I want to go back and Netflix his earlier movies, such as Casanova). As a sidenote, I picked up the book by Neil Gaiman and have now read it--excellent book! The movie follows the book quite closely, cutting some minors characters out--but getting the key incidents of the book just right. The Robert DeNiro role isn't really in the book, but it was a great, fun addition, so can't complain. DeNiro's retrofit of Charlie Cox's wardrobe was great! I hope this movie does really well (dare I say it, if Disney was involved, they could make this movie huge). Its a great story, well told, and it respects the audience: the movie realizes that the audience can put two and two together very quickly. The movie gives some hints of some of the connections between the characters, but not in a heavy-handed way (and, unlike Pirates 3, it does tell a coherent story). Also, the classical music provided excellent support for the story, and the Take That song at the end was pleasant (I can't judge a song by just one listen so I'll leave it at that). Finally, there will always be some carping about movies based on books, but fans of Stardust (the book) should, I think, be thrilled with this movie.