Excellent piece of entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2007)

I doubt that there are many people who would place Stardust at the top of their lists of the best films of 2007, but there is little doubting that this film is, if you are in the right mood, an excellent piece of entertainment.
The concept of a magical land sited right next to a little area of jolly old England is a nice one, especially as the portal is a simple dry built stone wall, the type that you see throughout the English countryside! The time setting is very interesting, I first thought that the story would have worked better if the English setting was modern era, but on reflection a modern day youth of 16 would be too 'streetwise' to be drawn into the world beyond the wall. Withing this setting the narrative holds no real surprises, and without giving anything away the moral line of Good vs Evil and True Love triumphing - or not as the case may be - is all to familiar to anyone who has any grounding in basic faery tales and fantasy fiction.
Allowing for the constraints that the basic storyline gives the film, the film does allow its own elements to breath, and there are no strings left untied that I could see.
The performances are all great fun, and all cast members seem to be really enjoying themselves, although there is one 'turn' that steels the show. Mr DeNero is truly a joy to behold! At first he appears to be playing, well DeNero, but then...No, I'm not going to say any more, you will just have to see the film to judge for yourselves! The effects are what you expect from such a film, all very well done, and some are really spectacular. There is nothing here to really disappoint all but the most critical fantasy film fans, and for the causal viewer there is a lot of fun to be had here.
Check your brain in at the box office, get yourself a large popcorn and sit back and let this film entertain you for a couple of hours. You may have forgotten most of it by the time you reach the pub - apart for the aforementioned Mr DeNero! - but you would not have wasted your money!