Stardust (2007)

Stardust (2007)

6/10

Starring

Claire Danes

Charlie Cox

Sienna Miller

Michelle Pfeiffer

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

I truly for many reasons love the book Stardust and the BBC audio drama version of the book is something to hear and enjoy. I have (when younger) seen this movie before, did not think much of it then. After reading the book and gone through the amazing audio drama, the movie comes out fun, but just not spectacular.

It has significant changes to the way the book ends and to the way Victoria was portrayed. Like movies come to be, for there to be a leading lady there must be someone who is the opposite of her temperament. Also Tristan (named Tristran in the book) did not have an Humphrey who was his contender for the heart of Victoria.

Here is the movie plot, there is a wall which separates a small English town from the land of magic. A young man named Dunstan wanted to get to see what was on the other side of the wall. He was able to trick the guard of the wall and go exploring. There he goes to a market and meets a lady (named Una who is a prisoner of a witch) who sells him a glass flower for a kiss. Later on she calls him into the caravan and they make love. Nine months later after Dunstan has even forgotten about his trip beyond the wall, there was a delivery for him. A baby boy named Tristan, the child is said to be his.

Eighteen years later, Tristan (Charlie Cox) has fallen for the popular Victoria and is madly in love with her. His challenge happens to be another man named Humphrey who is someone Victoria actually likes.

In Stormhold the King was dying, and he only has three of his seven children left alive as his children have been killing each other one by one.

He throws his ruby into the sky, decreeing that his successor will be the first of his sons to recover it. The ruby hits a star and they both fall together. At that moment Tristan was with Victoria confessing his undying love and she requested that he gets the shooting star for him and she would then marry him.

The kings sons Primus and Septimus also independently search for the stone. A trio of witches saw the fallen star and wanted it as well, they want it so as to be able to regain their youth.

Tristan went in search for the star only to find a lady named Yvaine who tells Tristan that she is the star and she was knocked out of the sky by a ruby (which happens to be the one the king of Stormhold threw).

Now Tristan takes Yvaine as a prisoner so he can take her back to Victoria to win her for himself. The brothers are after the star to collect from her the ruby. Then there is the witch who wants to capture the star and get its heart, so as to restore her and her sisters youth.

The movie is directed by Matthew Vaughn who we can remember wrote, directed and produced, Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) and the up coming prequel The King’s Man (2020).

The movie is a nice journey and adventure, but it is not the best adaptation of the Neil Gaimain's story which first started as a graphic comic released by DC Comics. The movie is undeniably fun to watch, but it does lack the full power and intent of drama in the novel itself.