Stardust is a 2007 romantic fantasy adventure film directed by Matthew Vaughn, starring Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Strong, and Robert De Niro.  The film is based on Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name and follows a young man named Tristan who seeks a star to impress a girl, only to find that the star is a lady named Yvaine.  However, Yvaine is being pursued by a prince seeking power and a witch seeking eternal youth.

Positives:

• Great characters
• Great cast
• Great performances
• Good story
• Good visuals
• Great soundtrack
• Good humor
• Good dialogue

Negatives:

• n/a

Plot:  The story is actually pretty good though the concept isn’t original.  Tristan sets off to win the heart of a woman named Victoria by acquiring a piece of a fallen star.  The Dark Queen of the Witches, Lamia, ventures to procure the star for her and her sisters so that they can gain eternal youth.  Prince Septimus and his brother Primus independently set out in search of a ruby so that they may be decreed king. It is a very exciting story that  The film does come to a satisfying conclusion.  (4 out of 5)

Characters:  Main protagonist Tristan (Cox) is a likable character and definitely the underdog hero audiences can root for.  He does undergo strong development becoming stronger, more confident.  Yvaine (Danes) is a great character and does develop over the course of the film.  Tristan and Yvaine have a good connection and do grow together.  Lamia (Pfeiffer) is just terrific.  She’s one of the main antagonist of the film and basically wants Yvaine so she can gain eternal youth.  She’s coldhearted, she’s cruel, and she’s just full of personality.  Everything a good villain should be.  Septimus (Strong) is the film’s other main antagonist and seeks to become king of Stormhold.  He’s a good antagonist but isn’t as flushed out as Lamia.  He is deadly serious and it’s crazy how ruthless he is.  There are a ton of other great characters: Lamia’s sisters Mormo (Joanna Scanlan) and Empusa (Sarah Alexander), Captain Shakespeare (De Niro), Princess Una (Kate Magowan), and the witch Ditchwater Sal (Melanie Hill). (4 out of 5)

Cast:  Terrific performances by the main and supporting cast and a great ensemble.  Great chemistry between Charlie Cox and Claire Danes.  Michelle Pfeiffer and Mark Strong are great, very intimidating performances.  Robert De Niro brought a lot of fun and a surprising amount of depth to his character.  The cast also includes Ben Barnes, Sienna Miller, Jason Flemyng, Henry Cavill, Rupert Everett, Ricky Gervais, David Walliams, and Nathaniel Parker. (5 out of 5)

Visuals:  There is a lot to appreciate when it comes to the way the movie looks.  It does look beautiful.  The set designs look amazing as well as the costume designs that give it a very stylish look that doesn’t take away from it.  The special effects, more specifically the magic, look really good although there are moments where the pirate ship Caspartine does look apparent. (3 out of 5)

Score: Ilan Eshkeri did a great job with the music.  There are moments where the music as this adventurous, epic feeling.  The emotional moments are better emphasize especially the music playing while Yvaine is confessing her love for Tristan.  (5 out of 5)

Writing:  There’s a lot to be appreciated when it comes to the writing and the directing.  Matthew Vaughn does a great job and does manage to make the film feel vibrant and magically.  When it comes to the dialogue it can be witty and humorous but its mainly attributed to the execution.  There is a good amount of humor but the serious tone and drama do keep it balanced. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, Stardust is a great film.  Not only does it have an ensemble of great and talented actors and actresses but it has good direction, a great score, good visuals, great characters, and a deep story.  Stardust gets 5 out of 5.