Review: Stardust

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Written by: Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Sienna Miller, Ricky Gervais, Jason Flemyng, Rupert Everett

Rating: [3.5/5]

As a general lover of fantasy films, it’s quite disheartening to see the rate at which these typically fail to effectively tell these stories. Something that makes sense as these films need to introduce a whole new world, ecosystem, and rules that govern it existing outside of anything we recognize. Therefore, it needs to use its time very effectively in order to successfully pull it off and thankfully Stardust sits in the good category through its whimsical and enjoyable story. 

After seeing a star crash nearby Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox) makes a bargain that if he can retrieve it he will have earned the hand in marriage to the love of his life. After finding the star in the shape of a person named Yvaine (Claire Danes) he learns of the danger she’s in from all of the sources seeking to capture her for what she can provide them as a star. 

Containing all of the wonders one could want through its story and characters, this feature presents quite the simple plot in presenting Yvaine as a MacGuffin of its story as she serves as a method to reach immortality but at the cost of her existence. It puts Tristan right at the center of something much bigger when he introduces himself to her when you have an evil witch coming after her to gain eternal youth and two princes seeking it to attain the birthright owed to them. It thus becomes a mad pursuit to get to her and Tristan trying to get her to safety. 

For a protagonist, Tristan does not present himself as quite the intriguing character to follow as endearing as he proves throughout the feature. However, he became the vessel of the hero we need to witness in this story as he navigates the different elements going on in this magical world. He represents a young man following his heart in order to please who he believes is the love of his life and allowing this new journey to change the ways he looks at things. Part of that comes from him falling in love with a star, something not everyone can say they’ve done but when they look like Claire Danes, it makes a bit more sense. In this magical world, it also raises some questions about her existence in the world and if these two were to have a happily ever after, and how it would all work. 

With such a wide-reaching world this feature presents, it takes these characters as high as the sky where we meet Captain Shakespeare portrayed by the ever-wonderful Robert De Niro. A performance I never quite thought we would see from the famed actor as he completely goes for it in this feature in presenting this pirate. Taking the skies with a floating ship, he certainly adds more to the whimsy of this story with the wonderful scenes he shares with the protagonists of the feature. It further opens up the world to what exists beyond where Tristan existed and the magic existing all around even reaching up to the skies. Seeing Robert De Niro care to be in a project such as this one after his run in the 2000s certainly made this quite the extra treat by giving us such a fun portrayal of a gay pirate. 

Serving as the main villain, we have an evil witch portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer who, like everyone else, is having a ghastly good time. In her performance as an old witch trying to use the star as her fountain of youth, she not only displays what immortality could look like for her but shows the lengths she will go to in order to attain it, including killing anyone in her way. She proves quite the treat in this feature as her magical abilities can vanquish someone very quickly as she has the mind to do it. Her motivation along with the princes demonstrates the divide between them and Tristan in what they seek to attain from Yvaine. It ultimately separates the protagonists from the antagonists. 

Delivering a wondrous experience in a rich world, Stardust gives us such a good time as it follows a young man and a star through the perils and wonders of their environment. A feature taking us deep into the structure of these areas and what the pursuit of immortality will cause people to do. A win for those who love fantasy stories but remain disappointed with the output out there not reaching the standard this one does.