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Bookmark this pageStardust (2007)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Synopsis
Based on the best-selling graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, 'Stardust' begins in a village in England and ends up in places that exist in an imaginary world. A young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) tries to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the beautiful but cold object of his desire, by going on a quest to retrieve a fallen star. His journey takes him to a mysterious and forbidden land beyond the walls of his village. On his odyssey, Tristan finds the star, which has transformed into a striking girl named Yvaine (Claire Danes). However, Tristan is not the only one seeking the star. A king’s (Peter O’Toole) four living sons – not to mention the ghosts of their three dead brothers – all need the star as they vie for the throne. Tristan must also overcome the evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), who needs the star to make her young again. As Tristan battles to survive these threats, encountering a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro) and a shady trader named Ferdy the Fence (Ricky Gervais) along the way, his quest changes. He must now win the heart of the star for himself as he discovers the meaning of true love.
Movie review
From Time Out London
There’s a lot of seductive qualities in this knowing, pomo, digitally assisted, widescreen, family oriented fairy tale.
It’s adapted with roistering glee by Matthew ‘Layer Cake’ Vaughn from Neil Gaiman’s cult comic-strip, a time-travelling fantasia with princely rivalry, piratical villains, chivalric romances, marvels, magical spells, mythical struggles and Hovis-ad English villages. It plays like a live-action riposte to ‘Shrek’. As if to compensate for carrying human baggage – sorry, actors – Vaughn throws everything at the screen he can. Castles in the sky and hovels on the ground come hurtling towards you courtesy of combined computer and visual effects. Before you settle into its amusingly generic ‘Victorian’ England setting (and the comforts of Ian McKellen’s velvety voice-over), you’re rocketed off on Google Earth-style journeys to the magical, mock-medieval, manically overdesigned virtual world of ‘Stormhold’, then back again to its teeming, independent microcosmics satellite hidden behind the olde village’s guarded stone wall. Like Gulliver’s puny captors or the ropes on Munchausen’s balloon-ship (which is quoted here), the film’s cast has the task of tethering its chaotic flights of fancy.
Charlie Cox, in naturalist register, makes a fist of the young, cambric-shirted hero – Tristan , charged with bringing back a fallen ‘star’ (which turns into an annoying Claire Danes) by his hiss-ably haughty love (tressed-to-kill Sienna Miller). But the rest – O’Toole, Pfeiffer, Gervais et al – wisely camp it up, with Robert De Niro out-camping everyone in a film-stealing turn as buckleswashing Captain Shakespeare. You could call it a cousin of ‘Time Bandits’ or ‘The Princess Bride’, but it lacks the former’s originality and the latter’s heart. No matter, little kids will like the miniature elephants herding in specimen bottles; this writer liked the futuristic gifts – plastic flowers!
Author: Wally Hammond
Time Out London Issue 1939: October 17-23 2007
User reviews of this film
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- Jess said...
- Posted on Dec 18 2007 13:24 Is the point of a review not to tell people what the film is actually like not to tell them you're planning to go and see it?
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- lex said...
- Posted on Dec 12 2007 16:47 it was absoloutly stunning i worship this film litrally ive been praying for it evry day and cry evry second im away from it i am litrally in love i never thoght ide say that again i owe my life to this film and my hapiness thankyou film and god bless
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- Nat said...
- Posted on Dec 11 2007 15:16 This is my favourite film for a very long time! I saw it twice at the cinema, once when it first came out and then again more recently. It is a truly beautiful and lovely film, that is also very funny, entertaining and a great adventure! It is rather predictabe, but that is ok.. The ghosts are hilarious, Michelle very sexy, Robert fab character for him, Claire Danes lovely and they guy in it very cute. What a story, what a film!! The sort you can watch over and over again, as soon as it ended each time I wanted to watch it from the start again! : )
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- Claire said...
- Posted on Dec 10 2007 13:44 Went to see this film Sat nite after reading the reviews on here... I loved the film, would buy on dvd. Not an ideal kids film as the humour in it would be lost on kids! A good fantasy film, with a dont know whars going to happen next feel to it. I would recomend
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- blue said...
- Posted on Dec 10 2007 09:45 I luv it... it was wonderfull... the best movie ever...
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- Miss Sally Harvey said...
- Posted on Dec 09 2007 08:05 Amazing!!!I loved this film, even though its not what I would normally watch. I would definately recommend this, I was on the edge of my seat all the way through and at the end I had a tear in my eye. Excellent!
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- amy said...
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Posted on Dec 08 2007 21:08
its quite good though i thought it wouldn't be!!
really funny - robert de niro was the best! - Report as inappropriate
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- Sam said...
- Posted on Dec 07 2007 12:46 I was really looking forward to this film but was very disappointed, it reminded me of The Princess Bride but not as good. It wasn't very streamlined and I love Robert De Niro but this was a little too much. My children loved the affects but couldn't get into the film because it was so bitty, they asked me at the end if understood it! Sorry but we were disappointed!
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- suzie said...
- Posted on Dec 06 2007 23:14 im going to see it with my boyfriend tomoorow night. m 14 so i'll tell u how it goes from mi point of view.
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- sam said...
- Posted on Dec 04 2007 19:06 got wrong film see golden compase
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- sam said...
- Posted on Dec 04 2007 19:04 it should be great it has daniel craig in he went to me high school
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- Ellie said...
- Posted on Dec 03 2007 16:16 Hey i absolutely loved stardust Michelle Pfeiffer was amazing if you love her this is a great film to see its fab!x
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- Katie said...
- Posted on Dec 03 2007 13:43 Excellent!!! Thought i would hate it- But i Loved it!!! Robert De Niro is Well Funny!!! I'd Reccomend~~:)
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- bob l said...
- Posted on Dec 01 2007 21:59 a great family film has the lot drama love , humour and swashbuckling sword action
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- ben w said...
- Posted on Dec 01 2007 12:11 really goodfilm i thought it was going to be a nerdy not funny boring film ok so it wasnt so funny but really good film i recommend it to anyone
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Cast & crew
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller, Peter O'Toole, Jason Flemyng, Rupert Everett, Ricky Gervais, Ian McKellen full cast
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Rated: PG
Duration: 130 mins
UK Release: Oct 19 2007
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