Exceeds expectations on every level

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2007)

Ever since the last installment of "The Lord of the Rings" came out in December 2003, it seems like there hasn't been one single fantasy movie that has been able to pleasantly surprise me, maybe because the bar was set so incredibly high. The one exception to this rule was "Pan's Labyrinth", without discussion a work of genius by Guillermo Del Toro. "Eragon", "King Kong", "The Chronicles of Narnia" and many other LOTR-wannabes were all but sheer garbage, and it seemed the fantasy genre would never get back up to speed, until "Stardust" caught my over-critical attention.
First, the story doesn't seem to have anything remotely connected to Tolkien's mythology, which goes to show it is possible to write fantasy without ripping of "The Lord of the Rings". All is kept light, witty and easy to follow for big or small children alike. The casting is also one that is "worth repeating", as the starting reels on the classics from the '30s and '40s would say.
The second thing that is captivating about this movie is the level of fun it seems to radiate out towards the audience. It's clear to see that the actors had lots of fun making this movie, and it shows both in their acting and the rate of the movie, which seems to be rolling in front of your eyes at the speed of sound. Time indeed flies when you are having fun.
This movie goes to show you once again that with the right cast, you can pull off just about anything. Robert de Niro for example is fantastic as the queer pirate captain, making fun of himself and his reputation as an actor that supposedly only plays mob bosses or other tough guys. Claire Danes is radiant (no pun intended), and Michelle Pfeiffer makes for a good witch.
The only points of criticism on this movie is that the humor is sometimes just a little too much (I guess this was done to keep this movie suitable for all members of the average family), and the movie suffers from the blatant overacting during about half of it. But hey, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing, right? Seven star(dust)s!