I'm a qualified primary school teacher and love pink fluffy things! If you rate my reviews I'll be h...
I'm a qualified primary school teacher and love pink fluffy things! If you rate my reviews I'll be happy to return the favour. ***FLUFFY***
Member since:10.08.2007
Reviews:106
Video reviews:5
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I was invited to the cinema with my mum and sister today and had little else to do so went along with them. When I asked about the film they replied 'Stardust' as if I had heard of it before.
THE FILM -------------------- The film is directed by Matthew Vaughn and is based on Neil Gaiman's Novel 'Stardust'. It is a fantasy film and if I had known the basic plot before being invited along I would not have bothered…that aside however the film is truly remarkable and features high in my 'favourite films' list.
PLOT -------------- At first the scene in the 19th century planetarium gave me a few doubts and thought the film would be like a version of Dr Who with lots of green aliens (I suppose that is what you get when you don't read the reviews before you go) but was pleasantly surprised.
I soon became captivated when we were introduced to the little town of 'Wall' appropriately named after the surrounding wall. The surrounding wall protects a 'secret portal' named Stormhold. An elderly guard protects the small entrance to this secret portal and strives to protect the land behind it. Dunstan Thorne however tries his best to pass the guard and find out more about the forbidden fields.
Whilst in Stormhold he meets a poor slave, Una (Kate Magowan) who has been captured by Ditchwater Sal (Melanie Hill), a witch and she is protected by a magical chain. Una sells a glass flower to Dunstan in exchange for a kiss then lures him into a wagon.
Predictably nine months later a baby is delivered to Dunstan. Tristan was the product of that night
in Stormhold. Tristan (Charlie Cox) grows up and develops an interest in girls. His love interest, Victoria (Sienna Miller), is in love with someone else and is quite mean to him.
Meanwhile…
In Stormhold the King (Peter O'Toole) is dying and trying to choose who will be heir to the throne. The four brothers Septimus (Mark Strong), Primus (Jason Flemyng), Tertius (Mark Heap), and Secundus (Rupert Everett) are stood around the bed with three others (ghosts) on looking. He sends a magical locket into the air and a star falls from the sky causing a lot of excitement. After spotting the fallen star and keen to win the heart of his love interest Tristan promise to find the star in return for Victoria hand in marriage. After Tristan reads a letter from his mother and lights the 'Babylon Candle' he lands in the middle of a huge crater on a star…well Yvaine (Claire Danes) to be precise).
So the adventure ends there?…
Well not really as three ugly witch sisters are also keen to get their hands on the fallen star for eternal life and beauty. Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) goes in search for this star. In the castle the remaining princes set off to search for the locket which would determine the rightful heir to the throne (at this point I predict the end of the film).
The search is a long and arduous one with many trial and tribulations. There is a nail biting show down, a trip on a flying pirate ship, a cross country race and another show down with magic and enchantment…but who ends up with the star? Who will be deemed the heir of the throne?
MY OPINION -------------------------- Despite predicting the end in the first few scenes I thought the film was fantastic. In fact the film catered for every possible taste with witches, pirates, ghosts, science fiction and a bit of love it was a very diverse but entertaining film. The soundtrack throughout which appeared very similar to the Lord of the Rings type of soundtrack (very fantasy led) was very noticeable and a certain driving force in the film.
In places the film appeared very dark and in others quite lights and breezy. In a few places I cringed at the minor violence but then I hate any film with death and violence. In one part of the film I felt quite shocked that the witches killed animals and pulled it apart for spells. Although the killings were not shown I would recommend that small children or those easily affected by this type of thing may not appreciate these parts.
I thought the acting was amazing and the romantic scenes were very believable. I thought Claire Danes played an excellent 'fallen star'; she is very beautiful and was obviously a great addition to the film. A leading lady however must also be paired with a handsome partner and Charlie Cox is amazing. The scenes of love and romance between Claire and Charlie are very believable.
In addition to the main stars I felt that Ricky Gervais and Robert De Niro played very strong parts. I laughed so much at some of Ferdy the Fence's lines (Ricky Gervais) and that is saying something as personally I cannot stand the man normally. Captain Shakespeare was also very funny and added a bit of halfway through the film when I was starting to get a little bored. I found his dressing habits (pink cancan outifits) and dancing styles quite funny particularly as he has a 'strong reputation' on the seas. I also giggle immaturely at the point where Mackenzie Crook was changed into a goat and then a woman with breasts, finding these rather enjoyable.
Some parts of the film were narrated however I really didn't notice these parts until my mum said "Oh so Ian McKellan narrated". To be quite honest I really didn't notice any type of narration as it blended into the film so well, but obviously my mum noticed it more than I did.
FILM INFORMATION ------------------------------------- ►Director: Matthew Vaughn ►Year: 2007 ►DVD release: December 20007 ►Duration: 2 hours (128 minutes) ►Company: Paramount Pictures ►Certification: PG
MAIN CAST -------------------------- ►Tristan Thorne - Charlie Cox ►Yvaine (The fallen star) - Claire Danes ►Lamia - Michelle Pfeiffer ►Septimus - Mark Strong ►Secundus - Rupert Everett ►Primus - Jason Flemyng ►Tertius - Mark Heap ►Ditchwater Sal - Melanie Hill ►Una - Kate Magowan ►Empusa - Sarah Alexander ►Mormo - Joanna Scanlan
Also starring… Sienna Miller as Victoria, Robert De Niro as Captain Shakespeare, Ricky Gervais as Ferdy the Fence, Peter O'Toole as the deceased king of Stormhold, Nathaniel Parker as (old Dunstan Thorne) and Ben Barnes as (young Dunstan Thorne), Adam Buxton as Quintus, Julian Rhind-Tutt as Quartus, David Walliams as Sextus, Mackenzie Crook as Goat Farmer and finally Mark Williams as Billy the Goat (Human)
SUMMARY ------------------------ This film is out in the cinema at the moment and is very good. It is a PG and in some parts of the Country many children will be starting half term (unfortunately I have just had mine) and this will be an excellent way to spend a day with the kids. As mentioned it is a great film for children as it is rather easy to follow and understand but some scenes may upset sensitive or very young children.
I am very glad that I went along to the film and this will definitely be added to my DVd collection! I would strongly recommend it.
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Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Science Fiction - Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga - Original Language: Japanese - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ayako Kawasumi, Fujiko Takimoto
Stardust is a truly enchanting fairy tale. Director Matthew Vaughn (LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO ... more
SMOKING BARRELS) takes his experience with credible crime capers and applies it to the fantasy genre in this charming but not too precious adaptation of Neil Gaima...
An adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name,Stardustbrings a strong cast ... more
together for an enjoyable family feast, with plenty to enjoy.Stardustmixes in romance and adventure, all in a fantasy movie guise, as it follows Tristan on his quest t...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
An adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name,Stardustbrings a strong cast ... more
together for an enjoyable family feast, with plenty to enjoy.Stardustmixes in romance and adventure, all in a fantasy movie guise, as it follows Tristan on his quest t...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
![Stardust [DVD] [2007]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/77919104.jpg "Stardust [DVD] [2007]")
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