The movie starts off with a prologue segment narrated by McKellen as he tells the story of a boy who lived in the village called Wall in England who wrote to the Royal Academy of Science 150 years ago asking them a question. They thought it was a practical joke but still wrote a letter to him telling him that his inquiry was not possible and that there could not be a hidden kingdom/universe on the other side of the wall bordering his village. We watch as Dunstan Thorn (Nathaniel Parker) tries to get past the wall's ancient 24 hour guardsman (David Kelly) to see if there really is another world on the other side because from this side all it looks like is just a field. He tricks the guard and finally gets past the wall and ends up in another world. He walks around a festival marketing area and meets a slave girl who gives him a lucky snowdrop flower in exchange for a kiss. After her mistress leaves for a moment she takes Dunstan inside her mistress's wagon home but before they get in Dunstan sees that the girl has a magic chain tied around her ankle that whenever cut or broken instantly snaps back together. She tells Dunstan that she is a princess who was tricked into being a witch's slave and it is that chain that holds the her in the witch's power. Dunstan cuts it to try and free her and holds a piece of it but the other two pieces connect together and she is not free. Then they go inside the wagon.
We zoom out of this area until we see a map with England on one side and the magical kingdom of Stormhold on the other so the scientist who wrote Dunstan was wrong. Dunstan returned home that night hoping his adventure would soon be forgotten however nine months later he received an unexpected souvenir. The guard hands Dunstan a basket with a baby in it and tells Dunstan that the name of the child is Tristan. We pan up to the night sky with stars shining brightly and in their midst the title of the film, "STARDUST" forms from stars that quickly go away leaving the sky the way it was before the title was shown.
Long story short, Tristan captures the fallen star for his "love Victoria but on his way back people are chasing after him in order to steal the star and kill her and eat her heart to gain immortality. Along the way they meet strange people, good and evil, and have help getting further on their journey. Almost at the end of the trip Tristan realizes he loves the star, Yvaine, and not Victoria. Confusion makes Yvaine believe Tristan doesn't love her and she is captured by 3 evil witches who are going to kill her until tristan shows up and with the help of his long lost mother sets her free but the way the witches get destroyed is by Yvaine, doing what stars do best, shine. Then it turns out that Tristan is the long lost heir to the kingdom of Stormhold and so becomes king with Yvaine as his queen and after they reigned for many years they used a babylon candle to travel to Yvaine's home in the sky where they still shine together. And that's the end of the movie.
The actors in Stardust met my expectations and they portrayed the key roles very well. With the help of an original and unusual storyline it combines comedy with fantasy in a pleasing way. The romance was a good example of how false love wants proving actions while true love does not require all actions to prove their truth.
The film used many techniques that help bring the story alive. The costuming was wonderful and help reflect the inner character that wore them. Tristan's costume suggested an innocent young and handsome adventurer. Yvaine's costume reflected the fact that she was once a star with the shimmering silver dress as her first costume it's not hard to imagine her as a fallen star. The costumes of the seven princes (both the dead and the living since they all eventually die) helped reflect their arrogance and feelings of superiority. The setting for the film was fantastic and the special effects and CGI were top notch. The music helped give a sense of this fantasy wold but also had themes that echoed our world today. It helped pull everything together.
Definitely go see this movie. It has a refreshing and original plot (even though it is an adaptation of the book by the same name it is still original since the book's storyline is original) which is fun to watch. The story is so refreshing to me since it does not follow the same plot line as other fantasy movies. The scenery and costumes are another great reason to go see this film. So go see it! And enjoy watching it!
Very nice review. I think I'm going to watch this film now.
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