DVD Review: Stardust

DVD Reviews

By Jeff Swindoll Dec 17, 2007, 17:58 GMT

An epic fantasy in the vein of Princess Bride, but more aimed at adults then the kiddies. This delightful fantasy is based on Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel and is quite fantastic. Sure there are some elements that didn’t jibe with me, but by the end of the picture I was entranced at how good it was.

There’s a town in England called Wall and outside of Wall there is a wall with a gap in it. An old man (David Kelly) sits and guards the gap. Curiosity gets the better of a young Dunstan Thorn (Ben Barnes) and he distracts the old chap and makes it through the gap. On the other side he finds that a mystical kingdom called Stormhold exists.

He also meets a woman (Kate Magowan) who appears to be enslaved to the witch Ditchwater Sal (Melanie Hill – I love that character’s name). The young Thorn and the slave girl sneak off to the witch’s caravan whilst she’s away. Nine months later the old man of the gap brings Dunstan his son that was produced by some alone time in the caravan. We cut forward and Dunstan’s (Nathaniel Parker) offspring Tristan (Charlie Cox) is all grown up. He’s infatuated with the selfish and vain Victoria (Sienna Miller) and one night tells her that he’ll do anything for a hand in marriage. Meanwhile in Stormhold, the King (Peter O’Toole) is dying and promises his surviving sons that whomever can retrieve the family jeweled crest will be the next king of Stormhold and throws the necklace to the heavens as he expires. The amulet knocks a star out of the sky and when it touches the ground of Stormhold it transforms into a maiden named Yvaine (Claire Danes) who has the necklace. Witnessing the shooting star, Victoria promises Tristan that she’ll marry him if he retrieves the star for her. They’re not the only ones who witness the falling star and the elderly witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her sisters want the star because if they eat her heart then they’ll regain their youth. So the adventure begins…. Stardust comes across as a slightly adult (well, as adult as PG-13 can be but you know that the baby had to be conceived in the old fashioned way) take on territory plowed by the kid friendly Princess Bride.

They’re very similar in that they both have fantastical elements and endearing characters. I wasn’t sure that I was going to like Stardust in the beginning, but by the end I was completely won over. The dashing stars, Claire Danes and Charlie Cox are well cast and are quite the pair. Michelle Pfeiffer is grand as the elderly witch who hotly pursues a heartful of youth after nibbling on the leftovers from the last time that a star fell to earth. Robert De Niro is a bit of a problem for me in that his character has a secret that when revealed causes him to overact unmercifully. He could’ve been a bit subtler. However, he also won me over by the end (arrggh!). We even have a Greek chorus of ghosts as the brothers of the princes of Stormhold are tied to the pendent until the king is crowned and they have a habit of killing one another in pursuit of the title. The film is equal parts comedic and also has a story of true love and as the Princess Bride taught us true love is what it’s all about, not to blave. I don’t know that I can truly express how much I enjoyed this film by the time that the final credits had rolled. Here’s a chance to discover a shining gem (or is that star?) on the small screen. Stardust is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. A fullscreen version is available separately. Special feature include the 29 minute “Good Omens: The Making of Stardust” which looks at how the film went from graphic novel to big screen adventure.

Next is 5 minutes of deleted scenes and a 5-minute blooper reel. Finally there’s the 2-minute theatrical trailer and previews of other Paramount DVDs. Stardust is an epic fantasy that won over my imagination even with some rough spots (an over the top De Niro). It plays like a more adult version of a fairytale and is a delight and a joy to behold. It is definitely one to discover and enjoy on DVD. Stardust is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 25th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.