Stardust (DVD)

The tiny English village of Wall is named after the barrier that separates it from a magical world. There lives Tristan, a pure-hearted boy in love with the cold-hearted Victoria. In order to win her heart he sets off in search of a fallen star, going over the wall into the land beyond. There he discovers that the star has transformed into a girl named Yvaine. But she is also being sought by the four sons of the King and the ghosts of their three ...
...to assure her eternal youth and beauty. Along the way Tristan also encounters sky pirates, shady traders and magical beasts. But his quest changes as he finds himself falling for the fallen star.

It's quite a leap to make from producer to director, but Matthew Vaughn manages it with style, creating a wonderfully enjoyable family fantasy. Obviously his connections in the film industry help as he has managed to assemble a cast of the ... more

The tiny English village of Wall is named after the barrier that separates it from a magical world. There lives Tristan, a pure-hearted boy in love with the cold-hearted Victoria. In order to win her heart he sets off in search of a fallen star, going over the wall into the land beyond. There he discovers that the star has transformed into a girl named Yvaine. But she is also being sought by the four sons of the King and the ghosts of their three brothers. The evil witch Lamia also wants Yvaine in order to assure her eternal youth and beauty. Along the way Tristan also encounters sky pirates, shady traders and magical beasts. But his quest changes as he finds himself falling for the fallen star.

It's quite a leap to make from producer to director, but Matthew Vaughn manages it with style, creating a wonderfully enjoyable family fantasy. Obviously his connections in the film industry help as he has managed to assemble a cast of the great and good of British and American cinema, with some really big names appearing in tiny roles. It adds a Hollywood sheen to what otherwise feels like a very British endeavour. Obviously the film won't appeal to everyone as there is a good deal of pantomime acting and fantasy movies are an acquired taste. But if you enjoyed films like "The Neverending Story" and "Labyrinth" this could be right up your street.

Vaughn's visuals are glossy, though he creates a fairytale feeling with atmospheric lighting and a palette of golds, sepias and blacks. The world he creates reeks of magical possibilities obvious from the first time we see the magical city and its teeming souk. There's also a sense that the world extends beyond the borders of the screen as there is a variety of environments and the cinematography presents us with a series of sweeping vistas. But this is a fairytale more akin with the Brothers Grimm than Disney. People are killed with alarming regularity in myriad nasty ways. Fortunes are told with offal, forests are dark, creepy places and almost everyone has an ulterior motive. But this is undercut with a sly sense of humour that makes the deaths darkly comic and absurd touches such as a billy-goat-turned-man retaining his animal behaviour (head-butting things he doesn't like, eating everything in sight) and an aged guardian handing out a couple of harsh beatings. The director clearly cares about his main characters and his affection for them translates easily to the audience. Despite the central romance, he shies away from sentimentality, keeping the relationship between Tristan and Yvaine sparky. He also isn't afraid of making the bad guys scary - they do all manner of nasty things to people, so you have no doubt they would kill the fallen star if they could. So there may be some moments that are a little too frightening for tiny tots. There are moments of swashbuckling adventure too, including some decent swordfights and some traditional swinging on chandeliers. The pacing is swift throughout so the film doesn't feel a hundred-and-twenty-eight minutes long.

The film is effects-heavy (as with most fantasy) but some aspects are more impressive than others. The physical effects, such as the unicorn and Michelle Pfeiffer's hydraulically operated drooping breasts are fine. Lamia's green fiery magic, the big explosions and the transformations are effective. But some of the bigger computer-generated effects look a bit iffy - the matting isn't great and you can tell what's really there and what isn't. But Vaughn doesn't linger on them too long, so it won't affect your overall enjoyment of the film. Nor does it adversely affect the narrative, suggesting only budgetary constraints.

The screenplay is adapted by Vaughn and Jane Goldman from the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman. The quest format gives the narrative dramatic impetus as we see the various players converging on Yvaine and Tristan. There are very few ideas that are original; the magical world close to the real one is nothing new and the cast of witches, pirates, enchanted girls, ghosts and transformed animals feels like a best of compilation from recent and traditional fantasy and folk tales. Tristan is a pretty standard zero to hero character for this type of story. But there is enough flesh on his bones for you to empathise with him. Yvaine is a fairly modern feisty heroine, but you can plot her character arc from the second you see her. And because this is a family picture, you know the baddies will get their comeuppance and all will turn out well in the end. However there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. What sets this story apart is the sense of humour that acknowledges the absurdities and undercuts many of the darker moments. So potentially gory deaths are played for laughs and jokes are found in the strangest of places. The dialogue is lively and there are plenty of gags for adults and children alike.

Newcomer Charlie Cox brings fresh-faced innocence to the role of Tristan. It helps that he's an unknown because we have no preconceptions about him, allowing us to believe that he is a lovestruck stooge with the capabilities to turn hero. He's very appealing in terms of looks and demeanour, so you feel for him as he grows into his heroism. He also shares nice sparky chemistry with Claire Danes.

It feels as though Danes has been in the wilderness for much of her career, but she's back on form as Yvaine. She is by turns spiky, imperious, downright rude and sarcastic. But this is tempered by a sense of emotional fragility and the actress' assured transformation from ice maiden to warm heroine. She shows good timing in her combative relationship with Cox and proves she can hold a believable English accent.

Michelle Pfeiffer is clearly having the time of her life playing wicked witch Lamia; relishing the chance to camp it up. She plays the villainess as evil with a capital "E". But her comic timing is good and she accepts the rigours of heavy prosthetics and jokes about female vanity and aging with good grace. Also enjoying himself is Robert De Niro as Captain Shakespeare, who manages to combine hammy and camp as the sky pirates' leader. It may dent his "greatest living actor" status, but it's fun to watch. Sienna Miller is one of my least favourite actresses, but she fulfils the role of Victoria, coming across as a spoilt, arrogant snob. However, she is too old for the part, so inevitably feels miscast.

The supporting cast includes a plethora of familiar British faces. Mark strong is cruel, dashing, intense and ambitious as Prince Septimus. His father is played by a cold, cackling Peter O'Toole and Mark Heap, Adam Buxton, Jason Flemyng, David Walliams, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Rupert Everett camp it up as his deceased brothers. However, Ricky Gervais feels out of place as dodgy merchant Ferdy the Fence. His acting style doesn't gel with the rest of the film, as he just plays variations of himself, this time in a bad wig.

The original music by Ilan Eshkeri follows a tried and tested format for this type of movie. So expect plenty of magical chimes and ethereal choruses when good magic is involved. When the sorcery is evil though there are lots of dark brass themes and stabs. Moments of dark humour are accompanied by B-movie brass arrangements. Tristan's failed wooing of Victoria is backed by playful plucked strings and mournful woodwinds. His romance with Yvaine is underlaid with warm string and harp motifs. The moment when all may be lost features appropriate threatening drums and brass, one death has its own requiem and the film ends with epic brass and strings. The only musical misstep is the use of Take That's dreadful "Rule the World" over the end credits.

"Stardust" is a great film for all the family; an antidote to the mawkish sentimentality of Disney fairytales. It is a modern-day Grimm's tale with a dark sense of humour and a strong sense of its own identity. There are plenty of thrills and chills to keep even older children entertained and enough eye candy for both sexes. The performances are often hammy but always consistent. The direction is slick and confident and the writing tight. If you like your fairytales with more bite than the average and you're in the mood for a sharp fantasy movie, you can't go wrong with this picture, which has everything from romance to swashbuckling adventure. 

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