2008 Woodie Awards
Star Crossed
Fresh fantasy livens up lackluster summer season
Production Staff
Issue date: 8/13/07 Section: Variety
- Page 1 of 1
Yes, the boy will become a man, and the guy will get the girl. That much is certain.
These aren't spoilers, but rather universally understood truths regarding the concept of epic storytelling, especially with regard to fantasy and particularly in terms of fairy tales. It is therefore a testament to the imagination and charm at work in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Stardust that such a seemingly typical tale works as well as it does.
In an English village, unwittingly neighboring the borders of the fantastical realm of Stormhold, Tristan (solid newcomer Charlie Cox) and Victoria (Sienna Miller) spot a falling star, which he swears to retrieve for her in a last-ditch attempt to win her over. Off he goes, unaware that the fallen star - having now taken the human form of Yvaine (Claire Danes, seemingly channeling Gwyneth Paltrow) - is also sought by several heirs to the Stormhold throne, not to mention a trio of witches, led by the especially wicked and equally vain Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer, having a blast), seeking the star's youth-restoring powers.
Ambitious in a relative sense and satisfying in a rare one, matters get off to a slow start as the multiple story threads are set up and set off on their parallel and inevitably converging journeys. The narration of Ian McKellen certainly doesn't hurt in terms of lending an immediate sense of grandeur to the tale about to unfold, and the early appearance of Peter O'Toole as Stormhold's ailing ruler only reinforces the notion of the proper, almost distinctly British fantasy to come.
After all of that, director Vaughn (Layer Cake) and co-writer Jane Goldman then bring to the proceedings a self-steadying sense of humor that livens the chase considerably.
The slain siblings of seventh son Septimus (Mark Strong) hang around as a ghastly makeshift chorus on his trek, a goat-turned-human finds his more animalistic tendencies hard to shake, and a man-turned-woman finds his more animalistic tendencies hard to shake. Ricky Gervais does what he does best as a fast-talking fence, and the lightning-harnessing sky pirate that Tristan and Yvaine come to encounter harbors a rather unexpected personality beneath his gruff facade.
It's actually Robert De Niro's performance as said sky pirate that singularly shifts Stardust from the level of mere curiosity to worthwhile entertainment. He depicts a character who plays off rough expectation only to reveal something genuine underneath just as effectively as the film itself does.
The humor is clever enough to hook those who remain unhooked by the more fanciful charms of the characters and circumstances in a way that brings to mind The Princess Bride. Even a climactic sword fight bears its own off-kilter, if mildly morbid flourish.
There's an eagerness to entertain on either end of the camera, from its cheeky prologue to the most sincere happily-ever-after since Shrek decided to wink. So, while Stardust may fall in a familiar arc, it shines no less brightly along the way.
These aren't spoilers, but rather universally understood truths regarding the concept of epic storytelling, especially with regard to fantasy and particularly in terms of fairy tales. It is therefore a testament to the imagination and charm at work in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Stardust that such a seemingly typical tale works as well as it does.
In an English village, unwittingly neighboring the borders of the fantastical realm of Stormhold, Tristan (solid newcomer Charlie Cox) and Victoria (Sienna Miller) spot a falling star, which he swears to retrieve for her in a last-ditch attempt to win her over. Off he goes, unaware that the fallen star - having now taken the human form of Yvaine (Claire Danes, seemingly channeling Gwyneth Paltrow) - is also sought by several heirs to the Stormhold throne, not to mention a trio of witches, led by the especially wicked and equally vain Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer, having a blast), seeking the star's youth-restoring powers.
Ambitious in a relative sense and satisfying in a rare one, matters get off to a slow start as the multiple story threads are set up and set off on their parallel and inevitably converging journeys. The narration of Ian McKellen certainly doesn't hurt in terms of lending an immediate sense of grandeur to the tale about to unfold, and the early appearance of Peter O'Toole as Stormhold's ailing ruler only reinforces the notion of the proper, almost distinctly British fantasy to come.
After all of that, director Vaughn (Layer Cake) and co-writer Jane Goldman then bring to the proceedings a self-steadying sense of humor that livens the chase considerably.
The slain siblings of seventh son Septimus (Mark Strong) hang around as a ghastly makeshift chorus on his trek, a goat-turned-human finds his more animalistic tendencies hard to shake, and a man-turned-woman finds his more animalistic tendencies hard to shake. Ricky Gervais does what he does best as a fast-talking fence, and the lightning-harnessing sky pirate that Tristan and Yvaine come to encounter harbors a rather unexpected personality beneath his gruff facade.
It's actually Robert De Niro's performance as said sky pirate that singularly shifts Stardust from the level of mere curiosity to worthwhile entertainment. He depicts a character who plays off rough expectation only to reveal something genuine underneath just as effectively as the film itself does.
The humor is clever enough to hook those who remain unhooked by the more fanciful charms of the characters and circumstances in a way that brings to mind The Princess Bride. Even a climactic sword fight bears its own off-kilter, if mildly morbid flourish.
There's an eagerness to entertain on either end of the camera, from its cheeky prologue to the most sincere happily-ever-after since Shrek decided to wink. So, while Stardust may fall in a familiar arc, it shines no less brightly along the way.