I truly love the
book Stardust for many reasons, and the BBC audio drama version is
something special to listen to and enjoy. When I was younger, I saw this movie
but didn’t think much of it at the time. After reading the book and
experiencing the amazing audio drama, I can say the movie is fun but not
spectacular. It makes significant changes to the book’s ending and the
portrayal of Victoria. As often happens in movies, there needs to be a leading
lady and someone who contrasts her temperament. Also, Tristan (named Tristran
in the book) doesn’t have a rival like Humphrey, who competes for Victoria’s
heart in the film.
Here’s the
movie’s plot: There’s a wall that separates a small English town from a magical
land. A young man named Dunstan is curious about what lies beyond the wall and
tricks the guard to explore. On the other side, he visits a market and meets a
woman named Una (who is a prisoner of a witch). She sells him a glass flower in
exchange for a kiss. Later, she invites him into her caravan, and they make
love. Nine months later, after Dunstan has forgotten about his trip, a baby boy
named Tristan is delivered to him, claiming to be his son.
The king’s
surviving sons, Primus and Septimus, set out to find the ruby. At the same
time, a trio of witches sees the fallen star and wants to capture it to restore
their youth. Tristan begins his search for the star, only to discover a woman
named Yvaine, who reveals she is the star and was knocked out of the sky by the
ruby. Tristan decides to take Yvaine prisoner to bring her back to Victoria and
win her heart. However, the king’s sons are after the star to claim the ruby,
and the witches want to cut out Yvaine’s heart to regain their youth.
I enjoyed the cast and their performances in this movie, and the visual effects and world-building are strong. I also appreciated how the movie balanced comedy, drama, and fantasy. However, some of the characters come across more cartoonish than menacing.
The movie is
directed by Matthew Vaughn, who also wrote, directed, and produced Kingsman:
The Secret Service (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017),
and the upcoming prequel The King’s Man (2020).
While the movie
is a nice journey and adventure, it’s not the best adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s
story, which originally began as a graphic novel published by DC Comics. The
film is undeniably fun to watch, but it lacks the full depth and dramatic power
of the novel.
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