The film industry has more than its fill this decade of PG-rated fantasy films, from the magnificent The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, through the uneven and average, like Prince Caspian and Inkheart, down to the downright dingy, such as Adam Sandler?s Bedtime Stories. The… More
The film industry has more than its fill this decade of PG-rated fantasy films, from the magnificent The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, through the uneven and average, like Prince Caspian and Inkheart, down to the downright dingy, such as Adam Sandler?s Bedtime Stories. The way that most of these are marketed, with the same sorts of posters, fonts and trailers, would lead you to believe that this film is just like all the other middle-of-the-road fantasies of late, and as such will disappear into obscurity. Thankfully, that doesn?t occur. Its aesthetic may be similar to a lot of other child-friendly fantasy films, but Stardust has a much greater depth and sense of heart than its more commercially successful sisters.
The first and biggest positive about this film is its cast. It is so refreshing to see Claire Danes back on screen in a leading role. Having rescued both Romeo + Juliet and Terminator 3 from being completely forgettable films, she portrays the fallen star Yvaine with the perfect combination of innocence coupled with a sense of sadness from seeing so much suffering in the world. Her central relationship with Charlie Cox ? probably still most famous for his role in Bleak House ? is completely believable, and even though it follows the arc of most romantic comedies, there is plenty of originality and spark to keep us interested.
After what seems like a very long absence, Michelle Pfeiffer returns to the big screen in the role of the villainous witch. It?s not only a great performance, but it?s refreshing to see actresses of her pedigree and vintage sending themselves up. Much has been made of Pfeiffer retaining her knock-out looks well into her 50s, a fact which she both embraces (by stripping off after she regenerates) and sends up (by ageing steadily into a miserable old hag). An equally pleasant surprise is Robert De Niro as the closet transvestite Captain Shakespeare. After coming on screen and essentially doing the Robert De Niro performance ? wise-guy looks, squared shoulders and acid-tongued delivery - he sends himself up in ways which are hilarious without being tragic or self-parodying. The can-can sequence, where fight scenes are intercut with him dancing in a dress, is much funnier than anything in Analyse This or Meet The Parents.
The film also benefits from a supporting cast of great British comic actors. Among those playing the dead brothers are Mark Heap and Julian Rhind-Tutt, fresh from splendid turns in Channel 4?s pioneering comedy Green Wing, and Adam Buxton, who would later have a cameo as the long-suffering science teacher in Son of Rambow. Even Jason Flemying does well as the eldest brother, although not quite to the extent that we forgive him for making The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The only acting complaints are Ian McKellan, whose rather superfluous voiceover sounds like he wandered off the set of The Lord of the Rings, and Sienna Miller, who appears to be convinced that looking like Dusty Springfield somehow constitutes acting.
While the screenplay doesn?t deviate too significantly from the arcs of either fantasy or romantic comedy, it never feels stale or unwieldy. The three separate plot strands are all ably interwoven. Roughly equal time is accorded to the search for the necklace by the competing heirs, the search for the star by the witches, and the love story between Danes and Cox. And while the special effects are more old-fashioned than a lot of stuff we now see, most of it courtesy of ILM or similar companies, they do not overshadow or overpower the film in any way.
In short, Stardust is a film of many pleasant surprises. Comparisons have been drawn with Terry Gilliam?s Time Bandits in its choice of colours and dreamlike quality. Where much of modern cinema, from The Dark Knight to Rock?n?Rolla, is obsessed with gritty, often pessimistic realism, it is reassuring that there are fantasy films still being made which are imaginative and original without being completely escapist and vacuous. Stardust does require a lot of suspension of disbelief, and it isn?t as good as the first Narnia film, but otherwise it is a highly enjoyable, entertaining, imaginative and optimistic film, which will delight children and adults alike and stand the test of time.