Stardust

Sure, there's some merit to making general statements like "Stardust is the Princess Bride of this generation," but doing so creates false assumptions and different expectations of everything that Stardust is.

I suppose "unconventional" would be a good word to use to start describing this movie. Set in a fairy-tale world running parallel with ours, Stardust gives director Matthew Vaughn the chance to give the fairy tale romance genre a Neil Gaimanian quarter-turn. While it may be shocking to an audience that has grown up with a so-called "Disneyfied" experience of fairy tales, the film's unexpected violence and dark humour provide it with a uniqueness and identity.

I doubt I could be happier with the casting of the film. Charlie Cox is believable both as the naive, lovesick man-boy (Tristan) as well as as the confident, love-affirmed man-king he becomes. Claire Danes is also well suited for the role of Yvaine, a star brought down to earth, approaching her part of the budding relationship with frankness and ignorant wonder. Both of their performances are enough to get us to believe their incredibly swift courting, although it's a shame that Yvaine (and Una, Tristan's mother) are so willing to let Tristan have his manly adventure while they encourage him by being held captive and such. Sure Yvaine kicks it into a massive high gear at the end, but it's clear there's still work to be done, even in a more progressive story, when it comes to the gender roles in fairy tales.

As with most movies, there are dips and peaks to Stardust. At times, the film sets itself up as being magically original without having enough wonder to support it, but on the other hand, there are some really spectacular moments. Among them:

3) David Kelly, as the Guard of the wall between our world and theirs, not only serves as a source of delight and humour, he also mirrors the blurring of the line between the magical and the mundane as he loses interest in keeping the worlds apart.

2) Mark Williams (who I just realized plays Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter movies) is absolutely fearless in his portrayal of a goat turned into a human being.

1) And, in an unexpected scene, Ricky Gervais shows up, improvs the funniest lines in the whole movie, and steals the whole show.

Hilarious bit parts aside, Stardust really is a fresh, mostly-magical experience that deserves the comparison to The Princess Bride but deserves just as much to stand on its own.




Tomorrow: T. Rex - Electric Warrior