Stardust
There’s one scene in particular that sums up the unusual tone of Stardust, the new fantasy film based on the novel by author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Charles Vess. After many adventures and trials, a character gives in to their long-suppressed emotions and declares their love… to a mouse.
The mouse is actually a human under a spell, but the scene still provides a good example of Stardust’s light-hearted spin on fantasy conventions. This isn’t to say that Stardust isn’t pretty conventional on the whole, but it does also feature some amusing, offbeat touches.
Stardust centres on young Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox), an English shop boy who lives in the quaint village of Wall. Tristan seeks to impress local village beauty Victoria (Sienna Miller) by retrieving a fallen star from the neighbouring magical kingdom of Faerie. However, Tristan’s mission is complicated by the fact that in Faerie the fallen star is actually a miserable young woman, Yvaine (Claire Danes) – who is also being pursued by princes desperate for the necklace she wears, and a trio of decrepit witches who want her heart to restore their youth.
Fans of Gaiman’s novel will notice considerable changes to the original storyline. The ending, in particular, has been transformed from a low key, relatively sombre affair into a dramatic face-off between various self-interested parties. But this change works – the new climax is engaging and gratifying; perfect for the big screen.
More problematic, though, is the number of cameo appearances by big-name actors and comedians, who clearly joined the Stardust cast just to share in the fun. In order to accommodate these stars certain memorable characters from the novel have been omitted and replaced by the likes of Ricky (The Office) Gervais’s fast-talking trader, who provide comic relief but contribute nothing to the story whatsoever.
Robert De Niro’s sky pirate also almost falls into this category, but the acting veteran approaches the role with such relish that the audience can’t help but grow fond of his character.
In terms of other performances, Claire Danes is nowhere near as miscast in the role of Yvaine as she could have been, and relatively unknown Charlie Cox turns in a convincing performance as a young man who gradually comes to understand his self-worth.
Standout acting awards, however, really have to go to Stardust’s two very evil antagonists, Mark Strong as back (and front) stabbing Prince Septimus, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia, chief of the witches. Pfeiffer spends a good portion of the film in hideous hag make-up, and enjoys the most visual gags in the film – every time her character uses magic, she loses a portion of her briefly restored youth to start sagging and deteriorating all over again.
Incidentally, it’s Pfeiffer’s Lamia who orchestrates the film’s funniest and most thrilling sequence. In order to trap Yvaine, Lamia magically conjures an inn on the stormy moors, and staffs it with her minions, a goat-turned-into-a-man and a boy-turned-into-a-goat-turned-into-a-buxom-barmaid. Naïve Yvaine is completely unaware of the exceptionally odd behaviour of the people around her, especially Billy (Mark Williams), the hilarious goat-man.
If you wanted to gripe, Stardust’s special effects are frequently just so-so, and the film’s PG-13 age restriction means that the graphic edge of certain violent scenes has been blunted. This said, in the end Stardust is light, superficial fun. And best of all about this solid fantasy film: it’s not a sequel!
The mouse is actually a human under a spell, but the scene still provides a good example of Stardust’s light-hearted spin on fantasy conventions. This isn’t to say that Stardust isn’t pretty conventional on the whole, but it does also feature some amusing, offbeat touches.
Stardust centres on young Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox), an English shop boy who lives in the quaint village of Wall. Tristan seeks to impress local village beauty Victoria (Sienna Miller) by retrieving a fallen star from the neighbouring magical kingdom of Faerie. However, Tristan’s mission is complicated by the fact that in Faerie the fallen star is actually a miserable young woman, Yvaine (Claire Danes) – who is also being pursued by princes desperate for the necklace she wears, and a trio of decrepit witches who want her heart to restore their youth.
Fans of Gaiman’s novel will notice considerable changes to the original storyline. The ending, in particular, has been transformed from a low key, relatively sombre affair into a dramatic face-off between various self-interested parties. But this change works – the new climax is engaging and gratifying; perfect for the big screen.
More problematic, though, is the number of cameo appearances by big-name actors and comedians, who clearly joined the Stardust cast just to share in the fun. In order to accommodate these stars certain memorable characters from the novel have been omitted and replaced by the likes of Ricky (The Office) Gervais’s fast-talking trader, who provide comic relief but contribute nothing to the story whatsoever.
Robert De Niro’s sky pirate also almost falls into this category, but the acting veteran approaches the role with such relish that the audience can’t help but grow fond of his character.
In terms of other performances, Claire Danes is nowhere near as miscast in the role of Yvaine as she could have been, and relatively unknown Charlie Cox turns in a convincing performance as a young man who gradually comes to understand his self-worth.
Standout acting awards, however, really have to go to Stardust’s two very evil antagonists, Mark Strong as back (and front) stabbing Prince Septimus, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia, chief of the witches. Pfeiffer spends a good portion of the film in hideous hag make-up, and enjoys the most visual gags in the film – every time her character uses magic, she loses a portion of her briefly restored youth to start sagging and deteriorating all over again.
Incidentally, it’s Pfeiffer’s Lamia who orchestrates the film’s funniest and most thrilling sequence. In order to trap Yvaine, Lamia magically conjures an inn on the stormy moors, and staffs it with her minions, a goat-turned-into-a-man and a boy-turned-into-a-goat-turned-into-a-buxom-barmaid. Naïve Yvaine is completely unaware of the exceptionally odd behaviour of the people around her, especially Billy (Mark Williams), the hilarious goat-man.
If you wanted to gripe, Stardust’s special effects are frequently just so-so, and the film’s PG-13 age restriction means that the graphic edge of certain violent scenes has been blunted. This said, in the end Stardust is light, superficial fun. And best of all about this solid fantasy film: it’s not a sequel!
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