STARDUST REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In my opinion, Stardust is one of the most underrated fantasy films I've seen. It succeeds in adapting the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman to the big screen and will appeal to audiences of all ages.
When I first watched this, I didn't enjoy it as I thought it was 'too scary'. This was probably because I was 9 at the time and, pretty much, reluctant to watch anything at that age. However, almost a decade later and it is now one of my favourite films of the fantasy genre.
One of the key ingredients needed to create a successful fantasy film is a well-written narrative. Fortunately, Stardust manages to tell the story of the protagonist, Tristan (Charlie Cox), in an enjoyable way. His character development is clearly shown throughout the film as he goes from being a hopeless boy with a crush on Victoria (Sienna Miller) to being a heroic man. The second protagonist is Yvaine (Claire Danes), a star who has fallen from the sky and who Tristan vows to take home to Victoria as a birthday present. However, Tristan isn't the only one who wants Yvaine. Three despicable witches want to cut out and eat her heart in order to recover their youth. Not only that but the remaining two Princes, Primus and Septimus, are determined to find a ruby that Yvaine wears on a necklace. The first Prince to find the ruby will become King of Stormhold.
Another key ingredient is well-formed characters. The film succeeds here as well. Tristan is likable as we see him trying to woo Victoria but failing immensly. However, he is still determined and tells her that he'd do anything for her. That's when a shooting star flies across the sky and Victoria tells Tristan that if he recovers the star for her, she'll marry him. Of course, Tristan soon flees his home in search of the star. When we first meet the aforementioned star, she isn't what we expect her to be. She has taken the shape of a young woman, much to Tristan's shock. However, he is still determined to take her back to Victoria and she reluctantly goes along with him and this is where their adventure begins. Like with most fantasy films, there's a villain and she's the Dark Queen of the Witches, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer). When we first meet her and her sisters, Mormo (Joanna Scanlan) and Empusa (Sarah Alexander), they are hideously ugly. After they learn of the star's existence, Lamia sets out on finding her and retrieving her heart in order to recover their youth and beauty. Despite the PG rating, her scenes are some of the scariest, due to her wickedness and her lack of sympathy. She will kill if she has to.
Like a lot of people, I was surprised to see Robert DeNiro in this film. However, his scenes don't appear until about an hour into the film and are very limited. Despite this, he gives a very funny performance as Captain Shakespeare, a pirate who likes to dress up in drag when he's not performing captain duties. His performance was one of my favourites in the film.
Speaking of performances, every actor involved with this film gives a solid performance. Charlie Cox is probably one of the most unknown and, despite working with Hollywood's greatest, he still manages to give a likable performance as Tristan. Claire Danes shines as Yvaine (no pun intended) and Michelle Pfeiffer is incredibly intimidating and scary as the witch.
Overall, a brilliantly-made fantasy film with an great narrative, likable characters and solid performances from the whole cast.
I'd recommend this to fans of the fantasy genre.
7/10