Review of Stardust (2010) by Matthew Y — 05 Aug 2014

Said to be a popular fantasy film from no specific franchise, Stardust looked like a stylish adventure.

Stardust ended up being a surprisingly enjoyable adventure, and even though it has the flaws of being very cheesy as with most fantasy films and has a premise which has a certain level of clear predictability to it, there is no denying the kind of fun and magical experience that it ends up being.

Stardust takes a familiar story and fills it with great characters and interesting themes to ensure that it manages to transcend a sense of familiarity in the premise. Stardust was a great fantasy adventure because it works as a standalone piece which does not require any sequels as it answers all the questions presented by the end of its running time. There is a lot of characters in Stardust and many fantasy elements to take in, but surprisingly it manages to fit it all into the 122 minute running time even if some of them are played off merely as random subplots. All in all, if the viewer embraces the fun fantasy adventure of Stardust then it is easy to take in all the concepts put into its narrative, viewers who find themselves indifferent to it will most likely find themselves asking a lot of questions. For me, Stardust was so easily enjoyable that embracing the atmosphere of the film was no challenge because it had a fun lighthearted nature to it mixed with a real magical sense of adventure as well as a light touch of humour and some moments of real darkness. The atmosphere n stardust is great, and thanks to a cleverly crafted script it ends up being a joyful venture.

Stardust gains strong momentum from a powerful script. Even though the story is not precisely groundbreaking, it goes through all kinds of interesting settings and remains focused on creating a journey. More importantly though, it fills the film with a lot of great characters and strong dialogue which gives the actors a lot to work with, and so when they come out shining with fine performances it is no surprise.

The most important aspect of Stardust is the visual experience of the film. Loaded with a lot of beautiful scenery and further enhanced by exceptionally colourful production design, costumes and detailed visual effects, Stardust ends up being an undeniable visual treat. It is all captured with exceptional cinematography which reveals the beautiful landscape of the scenery during its larger scenes while also taking time to focus on the physical elements of the characters. The zany adventurous energy in Stardust is most recognizable through the colour of the film's visual style, and to add to the atmosphere there is a very strong musical score. Every technical aspect of Stardust shouts magical fantasy and so it is able to grip the genre of the film very easily and it ensures that Stardust comes out as a joyful foil. Matthew Vaughn proves that he is simply improving as a film director with Stardust because he takes the large budget of the film and turns it into a project full of wonder.

And when it comes down to the cast, Stardust really projects nothing but talent from its long list of skillful actors.

Charlie Cox is an actor that I cannot say I am all that familiar with, and seeing him in Stardust makes me wonder why because his leading performance is full of easy charisma and natural charm. He carries the film very nicely in a leading performance which is likable and sympathetic, and he never steps out of the role for a second because he delivers every line without problem. He injects his natural acting charisma into the role easily and expresses it through a fond line delivery and a real sense of involvement in the tale, so Charlie Cox proves to be a skillful lead in Stardust.

Clare Danes also does a nice job. Clare Danes is a genial presence because she is attractive for one thing, but also because her ability to create a charming figure makes her enjoyable to watch. She shares a charming chemistry with Charlie Cox which has a lot of romantic tension between them without it being too cheesy, and it is also easy to sympathize for her as the story progresses. Clare Danes puts a lot of heart into her character development in Stardust, so she turns in another terrific performance.

Michelle Pfeiffer pulls out her best performance in years in Stardust. In her supporting role, she manages to play on her sex appeal a lot but uses it more to comic effect as she portrays a witch who gets less and less attractive the more she has to use her magic. She embraces the spirit in her character very well and really projects it with an antagonistic nature which is subtle and yet manipulative. It is great to see Michelle Pfeiffer back acting in mainstream cinema again, particularly in a role which requires her to branch out and step into a villainous role instead of the more positive ones she is accustomed to, so her effort in Stardust is just refreshing.

Robert De Niro is just perfect in Stardust. It is his funniest performance to date, transcending the many other comedy films he has done in his long career. He is hilarious because as he has built an entire career portraying gritty and rough edged characters ranging from gangsters to boxers, and so seeing him in the flamboyant role of Captain Shakespeare is just hilarious. He plays off of his status as a rough-edged actor so well and supplies plenty of laughs at surprising moments. Robert De Niro is a perfect supporting presence in Stardust, and he is the best cast member that the film has to offer.

Ricky Gervais' cameo was also a nice touch, especially considering that he used the line popularized by his television show Extras "you havin' a laugh?". Peter O'Toole's small role was also a nice touch.

Lastly, Ian McKellen supplied a great narration to the story.

So although Stardust has a rather familiar story, it transcends it with a perfect cast, some incredible visual elements and a genuinely undeniable sense of fun spirit.