STARDUST

"I am the star"

Tristan (Cox) simply adores the village beauty Victoria (Miller) but she belongs to another, much richer and popular man. Coaxing her into a moonlight picnic and spending every last penny he has, Tristan makes a proposal to his fair maiden. As a star falls to earth, Tristan promises to bring that star back to her if promises to marry him. The problem is that to complete his audacious quest, Tristan has to cross the wall that protects his pleasant English village from a world filled with witches, kings, princes and pirates.

The fantasy film has made a real comeback but can a director famed for bringing tales of London gangsters to the silver screen take us to a place filled with magic and enduring love?

Producer turned director Matthew Vaughn made a real splash with his directorial debut 'Layer Cake' but for his first movie he stuck to a genre he knew extremely well, the 'British Gangster' movie. After producing 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Snatch' for director Guy Ritchie, this genre was the obvious choice but for his second feature he has taken on a much grander and challenging genre, fantasy.

Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and adapted by Jane Goodman and himself, 'Stardust' is a very British take on the fantasy genre. Set in the picturesque village of Wall and the fantastical land Stormhold, the movie transports you to a much simpler time when a man would literally go to another world to prove himself to the woman he loved. When the world is filled with dangers he could never have fathomed, finding a fallen star might be a bit more difficult than our hero could ever have thought but it would be an adventure that would change his life forever.

To bring this fantastical adventure to life, Michael Vaughn has gathered together an impressive ensemble cast. Filled with some of Britain's best comedic talent and three of Hollywood's shining stars, the cast really fun with their roles, bringing an almost pantomime-like feel to the proceedings. Charlie Cox makes an impressive debut as the hero Tristan. The chemistry between him and the fallen star played by Claire Danes, is what makes the film so endearing. Add to this some very noticeable supporting roles for the best of British like Peter O'Toole, Rupert Everett, David Walliams, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adam Buxton, Mark Heap, Mark Strong and Jason Flemyng as the Royal family. Throw in Sarah Alexander as a witch and Sienna Miller as the initial love interest and you have a good British contingent in the cast.

Stealing the film however are the performances of the top big Hollywood stars. Michelle Pfeiffer is exceptional as head witch Lamia. She throws herself into the role and is completely over the top but suitable so. Sexy and evil, this is a character that she really has fun with and it one of the highlights of her career. The real star of the movie is Robert De Niro, proving again that he has a real gift for comedy. This is De Niro like you have never seen him before as pirate Captain Shakespeare, commanding every scene and make you laugh out loud as his secret is revealed, brilliant.

'Stardust' is an extremely enjoyable British romp of a fantasy movie that has something for everyone. Suitably over the top, funny and romantic, this is destined to become a favourite of the genre and one that the whole family can enjoy.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary by writer/director Matthew Vaughn and writer Jane Goldman
The writers and the man at the helm join together to provide a chatty, informative and fun track for 'Stardust'. The pair chat about adapting the novel and reveal the numerous arguments they while writing it, all in good fun. With behind the scenes stories revealed, the all star cast discussed and the visual effects talked about in this good track.

Good Omens: The Making of Stardust (29.55 mins)
Director Matthew Vaughn, producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, production designer Gavin Bocquet, author Neil Gaiman, visual effects supervisor Peter Chiang and stars Charlie Cox and Claire Danes take you behind the scenes of the fairytale for adults. The featurette takes you from the original book, to the graphic novel and onto the movie adaptation. Casting, inspirations, visual effects and rehearsals are also discussed and revealed, making this a decent featurette.

Deleted Scene (5.34 mins)
Entitled 'Candlelight small talk', 'Lift the stone', 'Carriage game', 'Goat man' and 'The next ruler of Stormhold', these deleted scenes suffer from the lack of an introduction or commentary to reveal why they were removed.

Bloopers (5.26 mins)
Watch the cast and crew make a hash of their lines and enjoy Ricky Gervais having fun on the set and Charlie Cox constantly falling over.

Theatrical Trailer
What the preview of the film that promoted it on the Internet and at the cinema.

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Stardust' is good. The commentary is a good listen and the featurette covers most aspects of the film's production. Fans of the film should be pleased with this release.

DVD

The Princess Bride

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2007