Stardust

This movie earns the Best Movie You'll Never See This Summer award. And the Best Movie You've Never Heard Of award. Apparently there's a book that this film is based on, but I'd never heard of it before. I'm not sure how popular it is, but I'm guessing not very unless you're one of those comic book geeks or something. Clearly, I am not. This movie has flaws, yes, but that shouldn't stop you from seeing it. This is not a film with morals or a message, so I won't go too deep here. And it doesn't draw too much on old mythology either; it's just your typical (albeit truly original) fairy tale.
It's interesting that this film isn't so marketed or celebrated given the veteran cast it sports. You have Robert De Niro (in seriously his best role ever), Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, to name a few. The acting is great; it's not spectacular but everyone fits the part. Even Charlie Cox who plays Tristan; the geeky, lovesick puppy role. He's not a very likable character; sure he's noble and a good person but a bit weak and simple minded for my tastes. Sienna Miller is perfect as the out of reach girl, but I thought that Claire Danes, while good, had a bit too much attitude for her role. Michelle Pfeiffer looks great; I loved her costume. The dress is gorgeous! I want one! And she does well in her part as well. But you can't top Robert De Niro as Captain Shakespeare, the pirate who really doesn't do anything, at least not what people think he does. It's clear that the original author of this story admires Shakespeare himself; some of the set designs look Shakespearean, and the palace in Stormhold looks a lot like the Globe. But it's in Mr. De Niro's pirate that we get the most. Instead of raid, pillage, and plunder, he would much rather listen to opera, play on his piano, and dress up. He has fine fashion sense, in both male and female attire and likes to look pretty. It's hard to tell if he's gay or not; Mr. De Niro does well to make him strong and masculine and rough but adds certain mannerisms and vocal tones that soften his edge. I can see many of you wanting to compare this character to Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow, but you shouldn't. Mr. Shakespeare was written this way (I assume, not having read the novel), whereas Mr. Sparrow came from the actor's interpretation. And they're two different characters. For example, Mr. Sparrow is almost always drunk; Mr. Shakespeare is not. There's a fantastic scene a little past the middle of this film where Septimus finds the pirate ship and his men and the pirate crew face off for a sword fight. The scene is intercut with Captain Shakespeare dancing around his cabin in a camisole and petticoat. The entire scene is filmed to the main theme of 'Orpheus in the Underworld', and the sword fight itself is choreographed in such a way that the characters are almost waltzing. It's absolutely brilliant. The best moment. Adding to the Shakespearean aspect of the film, the good captain himself has a Hamlet-like background: I can't remember his exact words, but it was something about his dad being killed by someone he trusted, or something like that (the whole plot with the King of Stormhold and his seven sons is very Shakespearean, complete with family murder plots to take over the kingdom). Mr. De Niro basks in this role and clearly relishes it. He plays it with such confidence and such fun that it's great to watch him. He's easily the best character and actor in the film, mostly for the sole reason that he plays his part so well and without any reservations.

The story itself is fresh and original and a welcome change to boring fantasy like 'Eragon' or the same shlock we get with 'Harry Potter' (don't get me wrong, I really like 'Potter'). But the film isn't perfect, obviously, and the length and plot holes balance out the perfect casting and great acting. The movie really isn't that long (2 hours 10 min.) but after a while it starts to feel really long. In some scenes there's too much of the same thing happening, such as too much watching the star fall or too much watching people ride across the country. And it starts to get to you by the end. There are some plot holes too, that though they get covered by the end, seem a little weak and after I had seen this film I kept thinking back to it and wondering how this thread got resolved, how this happened, why, until I realized that we were told. For example, the whole 'real king of Stormhold' thing gets glossed over too quickly. Tristan apparently is the nephew of the dead king, his mother his daughter. But they never really say this; Una's name is mentioned maybe twice and never in connection to Tristan. You pick up that Una is his mother's name and also the King's daughter's name on your own. And they don't say how she left to be a slave to a witch and why. So when she says that Tristan is the next king, you really have to think back as to how this could all work out. They expect you to piece everything together and remember things yourself, which doesn't work. I also don't get how Una recognized Tristan if the last time she saw him he was no more than a year old. How would you know? And the whole thing with her getting pregnant when she meets his father only once, for the first time, was a little sketchy. The other major thing was the Tristan leaving Yvaine to give Victoria the stardust bit. What was going on there? The narration seems a bit jolted as well, and the beginning bit is off. Did we switch time periods after the boy wrote his letter or not? And what exactly was his question? I got the feeling that we were supposed to know but I don't. The beginning of the film is also very rushed, urging us on to the actual plot. That's is never cool; it's ok to take your time. These few issues with the film were major ones and thus caused it to get a lowered grade. But enough of what was bad; let's further discuss what was good.
The cinematography is very good. The landscape is lovely; it's nicely filmed. And the costuming; you already know how much I like Lamia's dress. The music is amazing! It pays tribute to great composers like Howard Shore and Hans Zimmer without actually copying them. And it fits the film perfectly. Definitely a soundtrack to check out; they've even left out the stupid song that plays during the credits. Hurrah! The last thing worth noting are the special affects, which are good, but they lie along the lines of 'Harry Potter V': good, but obviously fake. This is no 'Pirates', where the lines between real and computer generated are blurred. It's all noticeably not real, but still good enough.
I highly recommend this, even though I won't list it among my favorites. The script is witty and very clever (the ghosts of the seven brothers are the best; too funny). English scholars like myself will get thrills out of the Shakespeare tributes, especially with regards to Mr. De Niro. And anyone who enjoys a good film should go; this is a film to be seen on the big screen, not rented and viewed later on TV. Do yourself a favor; see this one now. If there are only three movies you see this summer in theaters, make darn sure that that they are 'Ratatouille', 'Pirates 3', and this film, 'Stardust'.

Give my regards to England.

Best moment: The sword fight/dancing sequence on board Captain Shakespeare's ship to the 'Orpheus' music...priceless.
Worst moment: Tristan is now the new king! How did that happen?
Best quote: I honestly can't remember any...
Why you should go see it: Robert De Niro, if for no other reason. Plus it's best viewed in a big theater with great sound, etc. And it's an original, fresh story. Always nice.
Why you should choose something else: The pacing for the first fifteen minutes, it gets long after a while, screwy plot hole coverings, and confusion in the plot. Or you don't care to see Robert De Niro pretend to be a drag queen pirate.