Stardust

Rating: 7/10 (14 March 2008)

I was obviously quite keen to see this at the cinema, I missed it, but when I saw it on DVD I was pretty satisfied, a good film from writer/producer/director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) and co-writer Jane Goldman, wife of Jonathan Ross. Basically in a countryside town there is a mysterious wall to apparently another world, and the Guard (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's David Kelly) is not letting anyone pass, but Dunstan Thorn (Nathaniel Parker) tricked his way past him, into the magical world of Stormhold. Years later, his son Tristan (Charlie Cox) is doing the same to get a falling star for his love Victoria (Sienna Miller). When he gets there by black candle light, he lands in the star crater, and he meets the star, Yvaine (Claire Danes). The don't realise it, but others are after Yvaine also, because with her heart they obtain eternal youth and life. Evil witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) is one of these people, and her youth obtained from another star is wearing away as she uses more of her powers in her search for Tristan and Yvaine. The film is basically a long journey across this magical land, with Tristan and Yvaine bumping into witches, pirates, including Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), and much more. Narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, and also starring Ricky Gervais as Ferdy the Fence, Peter O'Toole as King, Mark Strong as Septimus, Green Wing's Mark Heap as Tertius, Rupert Everett as Secundus, David Walliams as Sextus, Green Wing's Julian Rhind-Tutt as Quartus, Smack the Pony's Sarah Alexander as Empusa, Mark Williams as Billy and Dexter Fletcher as Skinny Pirate. A very good cast, some good special effects, and the Take That single "Rule The World" is fantastic, it was tipped for an Oscar nomination for Best Song, but it never received one (instead three for The Golden Compass, and the winner was for that Irish film Once). Very good!