Could Stardust Be This Generation's Princess Bride?
Written: Aug 15 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Everything
Cons: Some scary/violent moments for children
The Bottom Line: A new fairy tale and a very fun movie experience.
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| GravityGirl's Full Review: Stardust |
Every Tuesday, my daughter and I head out to the local Cineplex to participate in a program called “Baby Pictures”. This program allows mothers with young babies to see first-run movies. The volume is not as high, and the lights are not as dimmed. Additionally, they place a changing table right there in the theatre.
This past week, we saw Stardust. I was a little excited about the movie, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Stardust is a beautiful new fairy tale based on a book by author Neil Gaiman.
As the story begins, we are introduced to Tristran (Charlie Cox), a lad from humble beginnings who is hopelessly in love with Victoria (Sienna Miller), the local beauty. One night, Tristran and Victoria see a shooting star, and in order to prove his love for her, Tristran volunteers to go over the wall and retrieve the star.
Meanwhile, in a far-away kingdom called just on the other side of the wall, the old king is dying. Apparently, in this kingdom, succession is determined by the last-man-standing principle and by the time the movie begins, there are only three brothers left. The other brothers, who are ghosts, provide commentary. Anyway, the old king throws his necklace into the air and says that whoever possesses the necklace will be the next true king. The enchanted necklace zooms off and it is the necklace that triggers the shooting star that Tristran sees. Comic relief ensues as the ghost brothers join the chase and provide commentary along the way.
Meanwhile still, the shooting star has attracted the attention of a trio of witches (the main witch is played by Michelle Pfeiffer), who intend to capture the star and cut out her heart and eat it in order to regain their beauty. After drawing lots, the head witch is chosen to retrieve the star and bring it back to the witches’ lair.
So, our intrepid hero gets to the star (who is actually a woman played by Claire Danes), but then he must figure out how to get back to England and his side of the wall so that he can please Victoria, who is actually a huge brat. On the way, they encounter a variety of characters including a very interesting air pirate (played by Robert DeNiro) and a peddler (played by Ricky Gervais). On the way, Tristran learns a lot about himself and begins to reevaluate his priorities.
This movie has it all- action, adventure, fights, comedy, witches, magic, mystery and true love. I really enjoyed the story- with the three storylines, there is always something going on, and while the pace is sometimes quicker in places than others, dull moments were few and far-between.
The visuals were amazing. The movie was shot in the United Kingdom and Iceland, and everything was just beautiful. Lots of sweeping shots and what not. Special effects also added a great touch to the movie- and they were very nicely done.
The acting was also really nice. Cox is a relative newcomer, but he was perfect for the role of Tristran. DeNiro and Pfeiffer had secondary roles, but they still did a wonderful job. Danes was okay, but she was the only one who I was not impressed with.
There are definitely some scary/violent moments that might make this movie inappropriate for children. Remember, the witches want to capture the star, cut out her heart, and eat it. Several characters are killed during the course of the movie, and then there’s that whole fratricide thing. This movie may or may not appeal to the school-age crowd, but parents should use caution when considering this movie for children younger than ten.
I highly recommend Stardust. This is probably the best movie I have seen this year. I think I liked it more than Harry Potter. The plot is funny, the cast works well together, and the scenery is beautiful. So, to answer the question I asked in the title of the review, yes, Stardust could be this generation’s Princess Bride!
Recommended:
Yes
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