absolutely tiring

Rating: 5/10 (7 February 2008)

What happens when a young director (Matthew Vaughan of "Layer Cake") films the adaptation of the work of a successful writer (Neil Gaiman), tosses in a narration by a "Lord of the Rings" alum (Ian McKellen), spins one tale of a dying king (Peter O'Toole), another of a literal fallen star (Claire Danes), a young hopeless romantic (Charlie Cox), a love triangle, a transvestite on a flying boat (Robert DeNiro), and a Shakespearean trio of witches (headed up by Michelle Pfieffer)? We get "Stardust", a disappointing, tiring piece of cinema that wants to be "The Princess Bride" for the modern era, but seems much too busy tossing in a dozen more plot points than the standard two hour film. It makes for a very taxing viewing and none of the innumerable sequences ever make it worth the effort.