Review of Stardust (2007) by Brad K — 18 Jan 2012
What a paradox of a film. It's beautiful and fantastic and highly imaginative, full of surprises and clever twists on the fantasy genre... and at the same time, the whole movie is plagued by clumsy storytelling and a choppy narrative style that undermines its own mesmerizing story.
The problems begin with the book. Neil Gaiman is very creative and very weird, and the film reflect this -- imaginative, whimsical yet bult on cliches, novel yet predictable. A good screenwriter might have solved these problems with a good script, but the script that Vaughn delivers is a bit of a mess -- a humorous mess, yet somehow too erratic to really hypnotize.
Was this meant to be the new Princess Bride? In a way, that's just what it is. But this film could so easily have been a fantastic, magical journey into a unique fantasy kingdom, and instead ends up stuck between an homage to the genre, a corny joke, and a genuine but failed attempt to make a truly magical film.
Do see this movie. And if you can't love it for what it is, love it for what it could have been.
This review of Stardust (2007) was written by Brad K on 18 Jan 2012.
Stardust has generally received very positive reviews.
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