Wow...

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2007)

I've read the novel, seen the film 3 times in theatre, got the poster&the illustrated novel, rent the DVD, bought the DVD as for friends, and planned to buy one for myself as well. In other words, I love it. It offered much more than the trailer suggested & I am ecstatic every time I watch it. The cast is superb ("Ian McKellan & Peter O'toole" pretty much seals the deal but the movie had much more). To make sure my praises speak volume, I must mention some shortcomings that bothered me personally. Although I'd have loved Claire Danes to have a more natural accent (which would work since she is a star and not necessarily English), she seemed to manage well. A forced climactic scene near the end disappointed me but the humor around it made up for the fact. I wish the film would have kept the greater length of the "journey" from the book but this would have taken away the urgency and excitement which made the movie so good to watch. W/o a doubt, the scores alone would've impressed me but they complemented the scenes quite well. Visually, each frame was a sight for sore eyes: a wide range of locations all wonderfully cinematographed (if that's a word). The thing about Stardust is it offers everything you would want to see in a film: creative storyline, likable characters, content, action, adventure, comedy, romance, suspense, awesome score and a healthy dose of violence. I will admit however- its atmosphere and pace are different from the novel (if you love the novel, there is a SMALL chance that you might disagree w/ the movie adaptation) but my personal assurance is that this movie delivers.