Stardust: Review By ParkWilliams

As a great lover of fantasy, Stardust had been on my list for a long time. Regrettably, I didn't get a chance to see it in theatres but I did rent it and it lived up to my expectations and more.

In order to prevent his love Victoria from marrying another man, young Tristan vows to retrieve for her a fallen star. Venturing into a magic land across the Wall, he embarks on an adventure he will never forget.

The story begins with a good attention grabbing scene and follows up with some solid story development. It takes an original story set in an original world where pirates sail the skies, lightning is harvested and sold, and stars take the form of celestial beauties. Fresh, exciting, and excellently told. In a way, this film reminds me of "The Princess Bride" in terms of its general feel and presentation. It is told by a narrator and presented with the same over the top, quirkiness and general exaggeration. But that's one of the main things I like about it. It was amazing.

Just looking at the cast tells you a lot about the acting in many cases. With names like Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Ricky Gervais, you almost can't help but be excited. It was a rather good move the part of the director to pick two relatively lesser known actors to play the lead when surrounded by such great names. All the actors excellently embodied colorful characters with that great surreal exaggeration that marks great fantasy.

Don't even get me started on how good the visual effects were. Although they may not have been quite in the same league as movies like "The Lord of the Rings" or "Superman Returns" who's effects were utterly flawless, it does combine great CG backgrounds over top of stimulating visual effects. They were used well in the film and worked to increase it's enjoyability and entertainment.

Stardust was an amazing film. It was a nice fresh reminder that there is still originality in this world. Chalk one up for good movies. Hold your breath as you enter the surreal fantasy world of Stormhall in "Stardust".