Director Matthew Vaughn (LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS) takes his experience with credible crime capers and applies it to the fantasy genre in this charming but not too precious adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel. The many threads of the story intertwine seamlessly, unfolding at an unforced pace that complements the movie's magical special effects. Charlie Cox (CASANOVA) stars as Tristan, a somewhat bumbling shopkeeper's assistant in the sleepy English village of Wall, so named for the stone barrier that separates it from the magical realm of Stormhold. Tristan is in love with the beautiful, dismissive Victoria (Sienna Miller), who much prefers her other suitor, Humphrey (Henry Cavill), since he has traveled all the way to Ipswich to buy her an engagement ring. Tristan, in a last-ditch effort to win Victoria's affections, offers to bring her a fallen star they've just seen, and she agrees to marry him if he can deliver.
Unbeknownst to Tristan, he is the product of his father's (Nathaniel Parker) sole excursion to Stormhold, where he had a tryst with a mysterious slave girl (Kate Magowan) who said she was a princess. As Tristan retraces his father's steps he discovers that the "star" is actually a beautiful young woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes) . A trio of witches, led by a delightfully wicked Michelle Pfeiffer, wants to capture Yvaine to cut out her heart and gain eternal youth, while the three remaining sons of the recently deceased king (Peter O'Toole) compete with one another to find the gem Yvaine wears around her neck. With special effects that never outshine the performances and a sweet story peppered with hints of Gaiman's dark sensibility, STARDUST is a truly enchanting fairy tale.
Theatrical Release : August 10, 2007
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish
Subtitled - French, Spanish
Additional Release Material:
Bloopers
Deleted Scenes (5)
Featurette: GOOD OMENS: THE MAKING OF STARDUST
Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer
Stars
Charlie Cox: Featured, BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW - 2003 (2003
Claire Danes: American Actress, LITTLE WOMEN (1994)
Michelle Pfeiffer: American actress, SCARFACE, DANGEROUS LIAISONS
Robert De Niro: Oscar Winning Actor/Director/Producer
Sienna Miller: Actress, KEEN EDDIE
Peter O'Toole: Actor, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
Ricky Gervais: British Actor, THE OFFICE TV Series
Billie Whitelaw: British Actress
Jason Flemyng: British Actor
Director
Matthew Vaughn: British producer/director
Producer
Matthew Vaughn: British producer/director
Lorenzo Di Bonaventura: Producer, FOUR BROTHERS (2005)
Neil Gaiman: English author and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Matthew Vaughn: British producer/director
Jane Goldman: Screenwriter, STARDUST (2007)
Composer
Ilan Eshkeri: Music, HANNIBAL RISING, (2007)
Source Writer
Neil Gaiman: English author and screenwriter
Director of Photography
Ben Davis: Director of Photography, LAYER CAKE (2005)
Review 1:
"STARDUST is a beguiling pastiche of storybook magic....It's deftly put together....It's the closest the movies have come in a while to the nudgy, knowing fairy-tale enchantment of THE PRINCESS BRIDE."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.52 08/17/2007
Review 2:
"[A] refreshingly funny fairytale....The charming Danes shines brightest here."
Source: Box Office
p.110 09/01/2007
Review 3:
3 stars out of 5 -- "A steady stream of star cameos buoy the narrative and Gaiman's source material is well served by the script writers..."
Source: Uncut
p.149 11/01/2007
Review 4:
"[L]ush and whimsical....Brimming with charm and CGI and full to bursting with Proppian folktale staples."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.77 11/01/2007
Review 5:
4 stars out of 5 -- "[S]o full of unselfconscious fun and adventure that you can't help but be swept up by its charms..."
Source: Ultimate DVD
p.80 10/01/2007
Review 6:
"Sophisticated in its execution, it is a movie that possesses a child's whimsical sense of wonder that propels the action, coupled with an adult sensibility that gives it emotional heft."
Source: Los Angeles Times
08/10/2007
Review 7:
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here are enough witty touches to make it sparkle."
Source: Total Film
p.141 04/01/2008
Review 8:
3 stars out of 5 -- "Pfeiffer and Strong ensure the story boasts some great bad guys, and Vaughn certainly knows how to make it all look great."
Source: Empire
p.48 11/01/2007