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From its sage introduction (narrated by Ian McKellen), Stardust appeared to be little more than typical fantasy fare, telling a quaint tale with a dash of special effects and “charm”, and in many ways this is true, although the appearance of deadpan humour mere moments into the picture grabbed my attention, I must admit. As much a change of scenery as the film is for brilliant Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn, he appears to have, at least in some measure, made a successful transition.
The tale begins as a sort of fantastical version of Knocked Up, with young Dunstan Thorne travelling into the magical realm of Stormhold, and impregnating a captured princess. Whilst this could have worked as a film in of itself, we press on to eighteen years later, where the fruit of their liaison, Tristan (Charlie Cox), is living with his father, and soon enough becomes embroiled in an adventure of epic, celestial proportions.
Tristan is forever chasing the beautiful, but unbearably obnoxious Victoria (Sienna Miller), and whilst Tristan’s attempts to court her are fairly boring, we are soon enough introduced to the King of Stormhold, played with flair by Peter O’Toole. He is unmentionably ruthless, and the dark humour that encompasses his few scenes (where he is deciding who to bestow his Kingship unto) is delightful.
Soon enough, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), one of three evil witches, arrives on the scene, and whilst her English accent occasionally dips and becomes transparent, she possesses a domineering screen presence that makes her a credible, believable threat, and she clearly has fun with the role.
With its tales of broken families and multi-faceted plot strands, Stardust takes a little while to get going, yet ultimately, the plot revolves around Yvaine (Claire Danes), a star knocked out of the sky through the actions of the King. Tristan is searching for her in order to win Victoria’s heart, whilst virtually all other parties are out to catch her for their own, far more sinister gain. It is in this quest that we become privy to the veritable star of the show – the slimy Septimus (Mark Strong), one of the King’s few remaining kin, in search of the star to validate his right to the throne. Strong disappears entirely into his character, and in one particular scene with a soothsayer, establishes himself as a ruthless, despicable, yet clearly intelligent (and thereby far more dangerous) threat.
Stardust is an oddly structured film in every sense of the word – it darts between various characters, delivering minor pieces of information and development, thus taking far longer than it should to flash into gear. The sedate, restrained approach works for many genres (drama, for instance), yet in the fantasy spectrum, particularly in a film driven by comedy, I feel that it is a mistake. That said, things do eventually heat up to an intensive converging point at an inn – there is a modicum of death, destruction, magic, and even a Unicorn fighting a goat, of all things. I did, however, wonder how a film with such material could possibly be rated “PG”, even in a majestic setting such as this.
The highly-awaited Robert DeNiro appearance is a welcome commodity in Stardust, and moreover, it is nice to see an American actor in this film who isn’t attempting (successfully or not) an English accent. He initially injects some much-needed testosterone into the film, yet his role is deceptively unconventional (in that he is, in fact, a gay pirate), and he truly makes the part his own. DeNiro is no stranger to comedy, yet this is some divergence for him, and seeing the same wonderful actor who portrayed Travis Bickle and young Vito Corleone now divulging fashion tips is beyond hilarious.
DeNiro’s character may initially be deemed as unfavourable in the sense that he is a closet homosexual, yet his final appearance in the film is without a doubt a positive representation of such, and moreover, it is very, very funny (and dare I say, the highlight of the film).
DeNiro also has the chance to interact with the other memorable cameo appearance of the film, in Ricky Gervais (who plays a shady salesman). Gervais is playing little more than his David Brent character from the fabulous The Office, yet it is what he does best, and he shines vigorously.
The film eventually assumes a Wings of Desire-like quality, almost – Yvaine, the fallen star, clearly begins to feel something for Tristan, yet one must wonder whether a celestial body and a human can fall in love, and moreover, can it sustain? Whilst one cannot profess to have read Neil Gaiman’s novel upon which Stardust is based, it is apparent that the novel apparently touches more on this, a facet that screenwriters Vaughn and Jane Goldman were mistaken to have excised.
As for Tristan and his quest, it takes the expected turns, yet we must remember that this is a fairytale, and one can forgive predictability when the climax is as well-envisioned and spirited as this one, with wild special effects and even wilder make-up (namely with Pfeiffer). In the film’s climatic battle, Vaughn truly fooled me – I genuinely believed that he was going to opt for a ridiculously convoluted resolution, but alas, there is a turnaround, and he delivers a spectacular, visually arresting finale. Even if the final sting in the plot’s tail contains more than a dash of deus ex machina, and serves to wrap everything up incredibly neatly, the manner in which events close is nevertheless affecting. Stardust is not perfect, with its inconsistent visual effects and largely average performances, yet with its fun-loving spirit and sense of humour, it is difficult to deem Vaughn’s attempting anything other than a success, even if it is only a moderate one.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
The tale begins as a sort of fantastical version of Knocked Up, with young Dunstan Thorne travelling into the magical realm of Stormhold, and impregnating a captured princess. Whilst this could have worked as a film in of itself, we press on to eighteen years later, where the fruit of their liaison, Tristan (Charlie Cox), is living with his father, and soon enough becomes embroiled in an adventure of epic, celestial proportions.
Tristan is forever chasing the beautiful, but unbearably obnoxious Victoria (Sienna Miller), and whilst Tristan’s attempts to court her are fairly boring, we are soon enough introduced to the King of Stormhold, played with flair by Peter O’Toole. He is unmentionably ruthless, and the dark humour that encompasses his few scenes (where he is deciding who to bestow his Kingship unto) is delightful.
Soon enough, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), one of three evil witches, arrives on the scene, and whilst her English accent occasionally dips and becomes transparent, she possesses a domineering screen presence that makes her a credible, believable threat, and she clearly has fun with the role.
With its tales of broken families and multi-faceted plot strands, Stardust takes a little while to get going, yet ultimately, the plot revolves around Yvaine (Claire Danes), a star knocked out of the sky through the actions of the King. Tristan is searching for her in order to win Victoria’s heart, whilst virtually all other parties are out to catch her for their own, far more sinister gain. It is in this quest that we become privy to the veritable star of the show – the slimy Septimus (Mark Strong), one of the King’s few remaining kin, in search of the star to validate his right to the throne. Strong disappears entirely into his character, and in one particular scene with a soothsayer, establishes himself as a ruthless, despicable, yet clearly intelligent (and thereby far more dangerous) threat.
Stardust is an oddly structured film in every sense of the word – it darts between various characters, delivering minor pieces of information and development, thus taking far longer than it should to flash into gear. The sedate, restrained approach works for many genres (drama, for instance), yet in the fantasy spectrum, particularly in a film driven by comedy, I feel that it is a mistake. That said, things do eventually heat up to an intensive converging point at an inn – there is a modicum of death, destruction, magic, and even a Unicorn fighting a goat, of all things. I did, however, wonder how a film with such material could possibly be rated “PG”, even in a majestic setting such as this.
The highly-awaited Robert DeNiro appearance is a welcome commodity in Stardust, and moreover, it is nice to see an American actor in this film who isn’t attempting (successfully or not) an English accent. He initially injects some much-needed testosterone into the film, yet his role is deceptively unconventional (in that he is, in fact, a gay pirate), and he truly makes the part his own. DeNiro is no stranger to comedy, yet this is some divergence for him, and seeing the same wonderful actor who portrayed Travis Bickle and young Vito Corleone now divulging fashion tips is beyond hilarious.
DeNiro’s character may initially be deemed as unfavourable in the sense that he is a closet homosexual, yet his final appearance in the film is without a doubt a positive representation of such, and moreover, it is very, very funny (and dare I say, the highlight of the film).
DeNiro also has the chance to interact with the other memorable cameo appearance of the film, in Ricky Gervais (who plays a shady salesman). Gervais is playing little more than his David Brent character from the fabulous The Office, yet it is what he does best, and he shines vigorously.
The film eventually assumes a Wings of Desire-like quality, almost – Yvaine, the fallen star, clearly begins to feel something for Tristan, yet one must wonder whether a celestial body and a human can fall in love, and moreover, can it sustain? Whilst one cannot profess to have read Neil Gaiman’s novel upon which Stardust is based, it is apparent that the novel apparently touches more on this, a facet that screenwriters Vaughn and Jane Goldman were mistaken to have excised.
As for Tristan and his quest, it takes the expected turns, yet we must remember that this is a fairytale, and one can forgive predictability when the climax is as well-envisioned and spirited as this one, with wild special effects and even wilder make-up (namely with Pfeiffer). In the film’s climatic battle, Vaughn truly fooled me – I genuinely believed that he was going to opt for a ridiculously convoluted resolution, but alas, there is a turnaround, and he delivers a spectacular, visually arresting finale. Even if the final sting in the plot’s tail contains more than a dash of deus ex machina, and serves to wrap everything up incredibly neatly, the manner in which events close is nevertheless affecting. Stardust is not perfect, with its inconsistent visual effects and largely average performances, yet with its fun-loving spirit and sense of humour, it is difficult to deem Vaughn’s attempting anything other than a success, even if it is only a moderate one.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
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From its sage introduction (narrated by Ian McKellen), Stardust appeared to be little more than typical fantasy fare, telling a quaint tale with a dash of special effects and “charm”, and in many ways this is true, although the appearance of deadpan humour mere moments into the picture grabbed my attention, I must admit. As much a change of scenery as the film is for brilliant Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn, he appears to have, at least in some measure, made a successful transition.
The tale begins as a sort of fantastical version of Knocked Up, with young Dunstan Thorne travelling into the magical realm of Stormhold, and impregnating a captured princess. Whilst this could have worked as a film in of itself, we press on to eighteen years later, where the fruit of their liaison, Tristan (Charlie Cox), is living with his father, and soon enough becomes embroiled in an adventure of epic, celestial proportions.
Tristan is forever chasing the beautiful, but unbearably obnoxious Victoria (Sienna Miller), and whilst Tristan’s attempts to court her are fairly boring, we are soon enough introduced to the King of Stormhold, played with flair by Peter O’Toole. He is unmentionably ruthless, and the dark humour that encompasses his few scenes (where he is deciding who to bestow his Kingship unto) is delightful.
Soon enough, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), one of three evil witches, arrives on the scene, and whilst her English accent occasionally dips and becomes transparent, she possesses a domineering screen presence that makes her a credible, believable threat, and she clearly has fun with the role.
With its tales of broken families and multi-faceted plot strands, Stardust takes a little while to get going, yet ultimately, the plot revolves around Yvaine (Claire Danes), a star knocked out of the sky through the actions of the King. Tristan is searching for her in order to win Victoria’s heart, whilst virtually all other parties are out to catch her for their own, far more sinister gain. It is in this quest that we become privy to the veritable star of the show – the slimy Septimus (Mark Strong), one of the King’s few remaining kin, in search of the star to validate his right to the throne. Strong disappears entirely into his character, and in one particular scene with a soothsayer, establishes himself as a ruthless, despicable, yet clearly intelligent (and thereby far more dangerous) threat.
Stardust is an oddly structured film in every sense of the word – it darts between various characters, delivering minor pieces of information and development, thus taking far longer than it should to flash into gear. The sedate, restrained approach works for many genres (drama, for instance), yet in the fantasy spectrum, particularly in a film driven by comedy, I feel that it is a mistake. That said, things do eventually heat up to an intensive converging point at an inn – there is a modicum of death, destruction, magic, and even a Unicorn fighting a goat, of all things. I did, however, wonder how a film with such material could possibly be rated “PG”, even in a majestic setting such as this.
The highly-awaited Robert DeNiro appearance is a welcome commodity in Stardust, and moreover, it is nice to see an American actor in this film who isn’t attempting (successfully or not) an English accent. He initially injects some much-needed testosterone into the film, yet his role is deceptively unconventional (in that he is, in fact, a gay pirate), and he truly makes the part his own. DeNiro is no stranger to comedy, yet this is some divergence for him, and seeing the same wonderful actor who portrayed Travis Bickle and young Vito Corleone now divulging fashion tips is beyond hilarious.
DeNiro’s character may initially be deemed as unfavourable in the sense that he is a closet homosexual, yet his final appearance in the film is without a doubt a positive representation of such, and moreover, it is very, very funny (and dare I say, the highlight of the film).
DeNiro also has the chance to interact with the other memorable cameo appearance of the film, in Ricky Gervais (who plays a shady salesman). Gervais is playing little more than his David Brent character from the fabulous The Office, yet it is what he does best, and he shines vigorously.
The film eventually assumes a Wings of Desire-like quality, almost – Yvaine, the fallen star, clearly begins to feel something for Tristan, yet one must wonder whether a celestial body and a human can fall in love, and moreover, can it sustain? Whilst one cannot profess to have read Neil Gaiman’s novel upon which Stardust is based, it is apparent that the novel apparently touches more on this, a facet that screenwriters Vaughn and Jane Goldman were mistaken to have excised.
As for Tristan and his quest, it takes the expected turns, yet we must remember that this is a fairytale, and one can forgive predictability when the climax is as well-envisioned and spirited as this one, with wild special effects and even wilder make-up (namely with Pfeiffer). In the film’s climatic battle, Vaughn truly fooled me – I genuinely believed that he was going to opt for a ridiculously convoluted resolution, but alas, there is a turnaround, and he delivers a spectacular, visually arresting finale. Even if the final sting in the plot’s tail contains more than a dash of deus ex machina, and serves to wrap everything up incredibly neatly, the manner in which events close is nevertheless affecting. Stardust is not perfect, with its inconsistent visual effects and largely average performances, yet with its fun-loving spirit and sense of humour, it is difficult to deem Vaughn’s attempting anything other than a success, even if it is only a moderate one.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
The tale begins as a sort of fantastical version of Knocked Up, with young Dunstan Thorne travelling into the magical realm of Stormhold, and impregnating a captured princess. Whilst this could have worked as a film in of itself, we press on to eighteen years later, where the fruit of their liaison, Tristan (Charlie Cox), is living with his father, and soon enough becomes embroiled in an adventure of epic, celestial proportions.
Tristan is forever chasing the beautiful, but unbearably obnoxious Victoria (Sienna Miller), and whilst Tristan’s attempts to court her are fairly boring, we are soon enough introduced to the King of Stormhold, played with flair by Peter O’Toole. He is unmentionably ruthless, and the dark humour that encompasses his few scenes (where he is deciding who to bestow his Kingship unto) is delightful.
Soon enough, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), one of three evil witches, arrives on the scene, and whilst her English accent occasionally dips and becomes transparent, she possesses a domineering screen presence that makes her a credible, believable threat, and she clearly has fun with the role.
With its tales of broken families and multi-faceted plot strands, Stardust takes a little while to get going, yet ultimately, the plot revolves around Yvaine (Claire Danes), a star knocked out of the sky through the actions of the King. Tristan is searching for her in order to win Victoria’s heart, whilst virtually all other parties are out to catch her for their own, far more sinister gain. It is in this quest that we become privy to the veritable star of the show – the slimy Septimus (Mark Strong), one of the King’s few remaining kin, in search of the star to validate his right to the throne. Strong disappears entirely into his character, and in one particular scene with a soothsayer, establishes himself as a ruthless, despicable, yet clearly intelligent (and thereby far more dangerous) threat.
Stardust is an oddly structured film in every sense of the word – it darts between various characters, delivering minor pieces of information and development, thus taking far longer than it should to flash into gear. The sedate, restrained approach works for many genres (drama, for instance), yet in the fantasy spectrum, particularly in a film driven by comedy, I feel that it is a mistake. That said, things do eventually heat up to an intensive converging point at an inn – there is a modicum of death, destruction, magic, and even a Unicorn fighting a goat, of all things. I did, however, wonder how a film with such material could possibly be rated “PG”, even in a majestic setting such as this.
The highly-awaited Robert DeNiro appearance is a welcome commodity in Stardust, and moreover, it is nice to see an American actor in this film who isn’t attempting (successfully or not) an English accent. He initially injects some much-needed testosterone into the film, yet his role is deceptively unconventional (in that he is, in fact, a gay pirate), and he truly makes the part his own. DeNiro is no stranger to comedy, yet this is some divergence for him, and seeing the same wonderful actor who portrayed Travis Bickle and young Vito Corleone now divulging fashion tips is beyond hilarious.
DeNiro’s character may initially be deemed as unfavourable in the sense that he is a closet homosexual, yet his final appearance in the film is without a doubt a positive representation of such, and moreover, it is very, very funny (and dare I say, the highlight of the film).
DeNiro also has the chance to interact with the other memorable cameo appearance of the film, in Ricky Gervais (who plays a shady salesman). Gervais is playing little more than his David Brent character from the fabulous The Office, yet it is what he does best, and he shines vigorously.
The film eventually assumes a Wings of Desire-like quality, almost – Yvaine, the fallen star, clearly begins to feel something for Tristan, yet one must wonder whether a celestial body and a human can fall in love, and moreover, can it sustain? Whilst one cannot profess to have read Neil Gaiman’s novel upon which Stardust is based, it is apparent that the novel apparently touches more on this, a facet that screenwriters Vaughn and Jane Goldman were mistaken to have excised.
As for Tristan and his quest, it takes the expected turns, yet we must remember that this is a fairytale, and one can forgive predictability when the climax is as well-envisioned and spirited as this one, with wild special effects and even wilder make-up (namely with Pfeiffer). In the film’s climatic battle, Vaughn truly fooled me – I genuinely believed that he was going to opt for a ridiculously convoluted resolution, but alas, there is a turnaround, and he delivers a spectacular, visually arresting finale. Even if the final sting in the plot’s tail contains more than a dash of deus ex machina, and serves to wrap everything up incredibly neatly, the manner in which events close is nevertheless affecting. Stardust is not perfect, with its inconsistent visual effects and largely average performances, yet with its fun-loving spirit and sense of humour, it is difficult to deem Vaughn’s attempting anything other than a success, even if it is only a moderate one.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer