| | | The Fairy Tale That Won't Behave.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, English, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby, Digital Audio, French
From the imaginations of best-selling author Neil Gaiman and director Matthew Vaughn comes Stardust, the enchanting tale of a fallen star who crashes into a magical kingdom - and turns out to be no ordinary meteorite at all, but a beautiful, imperiled woman chased after by an incredible array of seekers who want or need her secret powers. From wicked witches to power-mad princes, from flying pirates to dueling goblins, each person who encounters the star has his or her own agenda, but they all desire just one thing: her heart.The result is a rip-roaring tale of true love and high adventure that mixes and matches all the grand themes and imagination-sparking elements that have ever caused anyone of any age to fall in love with fairy tales. Stardust begins in the sleepy English village of Wall, so named for the cobblestone wall that has, for eons, kept the villagers safely apart from the supernatural parallel universe that lies just on the other side. It is here that young Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) makes a wild-eyed promise to the prettiest girl in the village (Sienna Miller), whose heart he hopes to win: that he will bring her back a falling star. Now, in order to make good on his promise, Tristan will have to cross the forbidden wall, and enter a mysterious kingdom lit by unending magic and unfolding legends of which he will quickly become a part. In this fantastical realm known as Stormhold, Tristan discovers that the fallen star is not at all what he expected, but a spirited young woman (Claire Danes) injured by her cosmic tumble. Now, she is in terrible danger - sought after by colossal powers including the King's (Peter O'Toole) scheming sons for whom only she can secure the throne, and a chillingly powerful witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) desperate to use the star to achieve eternal youth and beauty. As Tristan sets out to protect the star and bring her back to his beloved on the other side of the wall, his journey will bring incredible encounters with a pirate captain (Robert De Niro) and a shady trader (Ricky Gervais), among other surprises. But if he can survive by his wits and the strength of his newfound love, Tristan will also uncover the secret key to his own identity and a fate beyond his wildest dreams.
"...lights up the screen with a splendid tale of heroism and romance." Claudia Puig, USA Today
"...luminous, irresistible..." Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
"...[a] lively adventure-romance...[that] offers that elusive quality summer movies are supposed to possess but rarely do -- total escape." Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
"...heroic, wryly funny, but bloodthirsty as great fairy tales can often be." Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
"...the closest the movies have come in a while to the nudgy, knowing fairy-tale enchantment of "The Princess Bride."" Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...Cox comes of age quite convincingly, De Niro is a hoot, as is Ricky Gervais...Pfeiffer has a field day." Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
"Imaginative and intricate..." Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Editor's Note
Director Matthew Vaughn (LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS) takes his experience with credible crime capers and applies it to the fantasy genre in this charming but not too precious adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel. The many threads of the story intertwine seamlessly, unfolding at an unforced pace that complements the movie's magical special effects. Charlie Cox (CASANOVA) stars as Tristan, a somewhat bumbling shopkeeper's assistant in the sleepy English village of Wall, so named for the stone barrier that separates it from the magical realm of Stormhold. Tristan is in love with the beautiful, dismissive Victoria (Sienna Miller), who much prefers her other suitor, Humphrey (Henry Cavill), since he has traveled all the way to Ipswich to buy her an engagement ring. Tristan, in a last-ditch effort to win Victoria's affections, offers to bring her a fallen star they've just seen, and she agrees to marry him if he can deliver. Unbeknownst to Tristan, he is the product of his father's (Nathaniel Parker) sole excursion to Stormhold, where he had a tryst with a mysterious slave girl (Kate Magowan) who said she was a princess. As Tristan retraces his father's steps he discovers that the "star" is actually a beautiful young woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes) . A trio of witches, led by a delightfully wicked Michelle Pfeiffer, wants to capture Yvaine to cut out her heart and gain eternal youth, while the three remaining sons of the recently deceased king (Peter O'Toole) compete with one another to find the gem Yvaine wears around her neck. With special effects that never outshine the performances and a sweet story peppered with hints of Gaiman's dark sensibility, STARDUST is a truly enchanting fairy tale.
| Features | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Dubbed: French | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Stardust - DVD Review By: Sean O'Connell - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 12/7/2007 6:23 PM | |
The tremendously enchanting Stardust runs on a double dose of star power. Traditional Hollywood stars are stockpiled in the cast. Michelle Pfeiffer, so villainous in Hairspray, leads a trio of selfish witch sisters. Robert De Niro captains a motley crew aboard a magical pirate ship. Peter O'Toole gets five quality minutes as the dying leader of a storybook kingdom. Sir Ian McKellen even narrates the affair.And then there is an actual falling star, personified by Claire Danes, which beckons noble outcast Tristan Thorn (heroic Charlie Cox) on a perilous search for true love. Tristan knows a thing or two about celestial meetings....read the full review |
| Stardust - DVD Review By: Rafe Telsch - Cinema Blend DVD Reviews Published on: 12/10/2007 11:12 PM | | There really isn't a weak element to Stardust, from a brilliant story assembled by Neil Gaiman brought to life through Matthew Vaughn's capable vision by a highly talented cast. It's one of those rare movies that is so delightful, I wanted to start watching it again as soon as the movie was over with, just to enjoy watching it again. ...read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 5/6/2008 |
| Running Time: 127 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 347564 | | UPC: 00097363475644 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"STARDUST is a beguiling pastiche of storybook magic....It's deftly put together....It's the closest the movies have come in a while to the nudgy, knowing fairy-tale enchantment of THE PRINCESS BRIDE." 08/17/2007 p.52Box Office
"[A] refreshingly funny fairytale....The charming Danes shines brightest here." 09/01/2007 p.110 Uncut
3 stars out of 5 -- "A steady stream of star cameos buoy the narrative and Gaiman's source material is well served by the script writers..." 11/01/2007 p.149 Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "Pfeiffer and Strong ensure the story boasts some great bad guys, and Vaughn certainly knows how to make it all look great." 11/01/2007 p.48 Sight and Sound
"[L]ush and whimsical....Brimming with charm and CGI and full to bursting with Proppian folktale staples." 11/01/2007 p.77 Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "[S]o full of unselfconscious fun and adventure that you can't help but be swept up by its charms..." 10/01/2007 p.80 Los Angeles Times
"Sophisticated in its execution, it is a movie that possesses a child's whimsical sense of wonder that propels the action, coupled with an adult sensibility that gives it emotional heft." 08/10/2007 Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here are enough witty touches to make it sparkle." 04/01/2008 p.141 ReelViews 8 of 10
Stardust, based on the acclaimed illustrated novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, takes viewers to the mystical land of Stormhold, where stars walk, ships fly, and magic is real. A fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, Stardust leavens its mature fairy tale with elements of romance, horror, and comedy. There's less whimsy to be found here than in The Princess Bride, but the film is likely to appeal to the same group of older children and adults that appreciated Rob Reiner's classic...As a fantasy romance, Stardust contains all the requisite elements: true love, mystical creatures, magic-wielding harridans, shape changing animals, and a quest...The set design successfully replicates the look and feel of the book. Combined with Ian McKellan's smooth narration, Stardust transports viewers to another world...The cast is impressive, and includes many luminaries from both sides of the Atlantic...Stardust isn't as visionary an accomplishment as this year's bloody fantasy 300, but it nevertheless honors the illustrations that inspired its appearance. It's a kinder and gentler achievement but, in the midst of overbudgeted, over-hyped sequels, it's a fresh and welcome entertainment. - James Berardinelli
Reel.com 8 of 10
It may not be a great movie, but as Vaughn demonstrates his versatility, there is enough pixie dust sprinkled it over it to make a mostly winning spectacle...There is certainly nothing wrong with Vaughn's sense of wonder, even if the occasional scene cries out for a Jim Henson Muppet. When this fairytale plays it straight, it is tremendously appealing, given an extra sprinkling of charm by the engaging Cox and Danes and by Pfeiffer, who provides the movie's funniest moments with her glowering pique. But when the movie takes a turn into The Princess Bride and Shrek territory and becomes all about the comedy, the humor too often falls flat and the whole enterprise seems too derivative. Also, it was not a good idea to take a minor character from the book, Captain Shakespeare, and expand his role into that of a swishy cross-dresser. It isn't funny, and the decision to cast Robert DeNiro in the part makes it worse. He may, indeed, be the greatest actor of his generation (at least on this side of the Atlantic), but these days he is mostly a sleepwalking ham...Missteps aside, Vaughn has done justice to his source material, at times even surpassing it (his ending is way more satisfying than Gaiman's). It is mostly a delight and that is just fine. - Pam Grady
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