One of the Most Romantic Movies Ever
Written: Sep 26 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Great story, magic and special effects are very good
Cons: Chemistry between lead characters in the beginning
The Bottom Line: A great movie that will leave you feeling happy. Don't confuse it with a chick flick - this is good for everyone
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| jsmorris's Full Review: Stardust |
With my busy work schedule and extra curricular activities I don’t get to go to the movies often. I recently had a chance to go in August and was thrilled. As we got to the movies we had to decide what to watch. My friend chose STARDUST and I agreed even though I had no idea what it was about and had never seen a trailer. When I left the theater it was with a good feeling and a smile on my face. This movie was wonderful!
The movie background is a bit convoluted. There is a town (Wall) named after a stone wall that is on one side that can’t be crossed (it even has a gatekeeper to ensure no one goes over the wall to the other side). On the other side is a magical place (Stormhold) that is ruled by a dying king. He is a horrible man who pits his sons against each other for the throne. He said that the one who could change the jewel in his necklace would become king. But the sons are ruthless and end up killing each other to eliminate the competition. Only three are left at the beginning of the movie. Along with the men is a daughter who was taken and held captive by a witch and her father and brothers all think she died.
The main plot focuses on Tristan (played by Charlie Cox) who lives in Wall (his father had gone to Stormhold and had a one night stand with the king’s daughter which produced Tristan who was left on his doorstep to raise). Tristan thinks he’s in love with Victoria, a young woman who is self centered and selfish. She is planning on becoming engaged to Humphrey and doesn’t give Tristan any attention since he doesn’t have the money or status that Humphrey has. She tells Tristan that if he can bring back a fallen star as a gift to her she won’t marry Humphrey. Tristan jumps the stone wall into the magical land in search of this star.
The fallen star actually becomes a woman, Yvaine (played by Claire Danes) when she lands. She’s not happy to be on earth and wants to go back into the sky. Tristan captures her and is set to take her back to win Victoria’s heart. On the journey back, they encounter the king’s sons who are trying to get the star to give them the magic necessary to turn the jewel back into a ruby. Also trying to get to the star are three witches (Lamia, Empusa and Mormo) who need the star to make them look young and beautiful again. They send Lamia (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) to capture the star. Ok so it sounds a bit confusing when I try to explain but suffice it to say that Tristan has captured Yvaine and there are a bunch of people who want her for their own and try to stop him from delivering her to Victoria.
Along the journey, Tristan and Yvaine meet up with one of my favorite characters, Captain Shakespeare whose ship flies through the skies capturing lightening which he then sells. Captain Shakespeare (played by Robert De Niro) agrees to help Tristan and Yvaine to their next destination and keep the others away from them. The various escapades of Captain Shakespeare are some of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in a movie in a very long time. It was a cross between fantasy, pirates, and I don’t know what else but it was hilarious!
There are several subplots playing into the main theme of Tristan taking Yvaine to Victoria. The battle for king is interesting but at times is a bit redundant. The dead brothers appear as ghosts and them always hanging around was very strange. The witches seeking Yvaine at times was gruesome and could scare young viewers with the gory details. I do have to say that Lamia using magic and in turn going back to old and ugly bit by bit was very funny – to see Michelle Pfeiffer get age spots on her hands or wrinkles was humorous. I sure hope she ages in real life much better than she did in this movie!
This is definitely a love story. Tristan’s character is lovable, naïve and very likeable. Once Yvaine realizes she loves Tristan her character becomes more likeable. There isn’t much chemistry between the two until the very end which had me wondering if it would work between them. However, the ending is one of those feel-good type endings and even had a bit of spite tossed in for good measure. It was great!
The magical scenes had interesting special effects. The witches’ spells were pretty scary with the effects presented. I absolutely loved the aging process of Lamia – the age spots and wrinkles just grew. Also the flying ship and the capturing of lightening were magical and amazing. There seemed to be a bit of magic for everyone.
Although the plot and various subplots might confuse the viewer at first it will soon all fall into place. All of the subplots were tied together and made the story very interesting. This movie is definitely a perfect date movie and if you’re a romantic you’ll love it! This needs to be on your Must See list if you like magic, like romance, or just want to see a feel-good movie.
Stardust was based on the book by Neil Gaiman.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Date Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
jsmorris
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Susie Morris
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 682
Trusted by: 295 members
About Me:
Broken hearts sometimes don't mend...but life goes on.
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