Movies: Stardust

There are some movies that give a bad first impression from their preview trailers. Take "Stardust," for example:



At first glance, this appears to be another me-too fantasy film in the vein of "Eragon." Epic fantasy movies are a dime a dozen nowadays, after all. What the trailer doesn't show, however, is the cheeky humor of the story (Robert De Niro plays a gay pirate) and charming performances from the cast, the two things that lift this adaptation of Neil Gaiman's work past other fantasy movies.

A lot of Neil Gaiman's work deals with coming-of-age, and "Stardust" is merely one good example. Tristan, a young man seeking a fallen star for his romantic infatuation, soon becomes tangled up in events that teach him a great deal about love. "Stardust" follows the path of whimsical, irreverent fantasies like "The Princess Bride," and it's worth a look if you need some family-friendly entertainment. Michelle Pfeiffer and Claire Danes in particular are inspired casting choices, and give pretty good performances for the genre.

Rating: 7/10