Stardust

The portal to another world—a world of magic and high adventure—is deceptively un-magical in Stardust. No fancy lights. No bells or whistles. It’s merely a crack in a wall leading to an ordinary-looking field on the other side. But an old guard stands by, determined not to let anybody through. His belief alone makes the wall uniquely magical . . . without the aid of any special effects.

That’s the charm of Stardust. Belief in the extraordinary. While the special effects are seamless and fun to look at, it’s what the characters believe that makes the whole movie worthwhile. Expect the unexpected. Tough guy Robert DeNiro is not your average ruthless pirate. Witches, fallen stars, princes and more, they all have their own agendas, hopes and dreams. And it’s fun to see how they all tie together as the story moves along.

Other pluses:

1) Great cinematography with clear, interesting shots.

2) Wicked cool sword fight at the end, unlike anything I’ve seen before.

3) Michelle Pfeifer makes a great villain, still has the commanding presence she had in Batman Returns.

4) Humorous commentary from ghosts, subtly done, and not at all annoying.

5) For the most part, Stardust easy to follow, without requiring viewers to read the book (sometimes the Harry Potter movies seem choppy, needing the books to fill in gaps).

Minuses:

1) The movie starts off with a letter to some well-respected Englishman concerning the portal to another world. I’m not sure who that Englishman is. I might have to re-read Neil Gaiman’s book to figure that one out.

2) The song for the final credits seems a bit out of place. The lyrics were spot-on, but somehow the odd singing voice startled me from the spell cast by the movie. Oh well, that’s just me I guess. It shouldn’t be any problem for enjoying the wonderment of Stardust.