Review: STARDUST

First posted: August 24, 2007

The movie, Stardust, based on a Neil Gaiman book by the same name, is a bit of froth that refuses to take itself too seriously. Unlike The Lord of the Rings, say, or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it is by turns witty and silly. The story is about a battle between good vs. evil, of course, but the cast manages to subtly poke at the genre.

I always enjoy watching movies when the actors are having fun. Michelle Pfeiffer thoroughly enjoys herself as the dark witch. Robert De Niro has so much fun with Captain Shakespeare that the audience can't help laughing along with him. I think his performance is worth some Best-Supporting-Actor nominations.

As usual, the supporting cast shines, competent in their roles. Cameos that are worth the price of admission are Olivia Grant as the girl Pfeiffer turns Bernard into, her fascination with her breasts, her enthusiasm for helping Danes bathe are subtle, but entertaining; Peter O'Toole, deliciously the dying king; Rupert Everett as Secundus; Melanie Hill as Ditchwater Sally; Dexter Fletcher as De Niro's mate; and most of all, outstanding Mark Williams as Billy, the goat turned into a human, still a goat in a human body.

As I've said before, the character actors have to be good to keep getting work; stars can ride on their name.

Charley Cox may be the next heart throb, or maybe not. These things are hard to predict. He has the looks, the charm and the freshness, but who knows?

Claire Danes is the more experienced actor. She has the luminosity for the role. She exemplifies that old saying that the most important trait for an actor is sincerity and if you can fake that, you can play anything. I don't necessarily think she is faking it, but her performance has the polish that makes it hard to tell. She is a little on the narrow side for me. I don't think she is anorexic, because much of the thinness is in the shape of her skull.

I liked her speech on what love is and what it is not. I was glad my grandson heard that speech and I hope a little of it soaked in.

A lot of what is good in this movie has to have come from the director, Matthew Vaughn. I've always heard that if the audience praises the special effects or the lighting, it isn't good, because they shouldn't show, showing detracts from the story. Good directing doesn't show, but we know it when we see it. Little touches like Primus bleeding blue rather than red, the whole Billy performance, the light-hearted tone of the movie let us know.

I liked that some of the actions of the bad guys actually helped the good guys.

I could have done without the use of entails for divination. I knew that the witches were evil, enough already.

Stardust isn't Shakespeare, not great drama; it isn't "serious," fortunately. It entertains. Go see it for that.