Stardust (HD DVD)
By Rod • About: HD DVD, Reviews at 2:34 am on December 15 2007I had expected Stardust, a fantasy movie based off the well-regarded Neil Gaiman novel, to do well at the box office when it launched in August. The movie floundered however, dropping off the charts after 45 days, earning approximately $38 million.
Stardust may have been up against overwhelming competition, with The Bourne Ultimatum, The Simpson’s Movie, and Superbad all hitting theaters at around the same time. It could also have been a lack of exposure, as the film didn’t receive nearly the advertising blitz of other big releases at the time - despite a cast that can only be called an all-star lineup.
Whatever the case, it’s a film that deserved a better fate - a lighthearted adventure that isn’t brilliant on the technical side of things, but is a worthy addition to your high-definition library nonetheless.
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Story
I don’t go for spoilers, so I’ll try to keep this brief. The story follows the adventures of Tristan Thorn as he attempts to recover a fallen star to win the love of the village beauty, a shallow thing named Victoria (played by Sienna Miller), whose first love is the dashing and worldly Humphrey.
There’s a small snag to Tristan’s plan, though. The fallen star has taken on human form - that of Yvaine, played by Claire Danes. Not a bad form to take, in my opinion. The pair hit the road together, with Tristan determined to take the star back to Victoria.
The star’s humanly form isn’t the only snag on Tristan’s road to true love, however, as there are more people after the fallen star. The first is Septimus, one of the realm’s princes and determined to win the king’s crown by returning with a ruby that fell to earth with the star. Septimus is one of seven princes who start the film eligible for the crown, but there’s a quick bit of butchery that leaves the number in play significantly lower.
The fallen princes remain in the film as ghosts, spectating on the action and offering some of the film’s most entertaining reactions - particularly during the final encounters.
There’s also a trio of aging witches after the star, aiming to cut out her heart and restore their own youth. They send Lamia, played masterfully by Michelle Pfeiffer, to recover the fallen star - adding to Tristan’s troubles.
In addition to all this, there’s also an airship full of pirates to add into the mix, as well as Ricky Gervais appearing as a hilarious fence who’s more than a bit familiar to fans of the British version of The Office.
It takes a good director to take this many disparate elements and weave them together into a coherent movie, doubly so when it has such a cast of stars. Fortunately Matthew Vaughn, also known for his work with Layer Cake, is up to the task. Stardust is one of the year’s more entertaining fantasy films, drawing comparisons to classic film The Princess Bride.
The comparisons are apt, with dialog that’s smart and engaging. Though the plot might be fairly typical fantasy fare, it’s well developed and overcomes any ‘been there, seen that’ issues. I wasn’t sold on Tristan’s heroic qualities at the start of the film but by the end I was cheering him on, and, to me at least, that’s a sign of great character growth.
Video
Stardust can’t be considered top-of-the-line for video, lacking the hyper-real sharpness that reference-quality titles possess. Though it has a slightly softer look, it plays well with the fantasy setting and is obviously intentional as it is consistent throughout the film. There are a few shots that pop visually, typically wide shots in outdoor settings.
While fine details don’t pop, the colors do. Lush color is used to emphasize and accentuate, with little noise to be found. There’s a certain amount of film grain to be seen, particularly in the backgrounds during shots with blurred backgrounds, but it doesn’t distract from the presentation. Black levels are also good, and with much of the film set at night, that’s a positive.
Stardust didn’t go big-budget on the CGI, but that doesn’t detract from the experience. There are a number of excellent effects, including a bird-to-girl, back-to-bird transformation that’s very well done. The remainder of the effects, from witches spells to flying airships, are decent but not overwhelming.
They do manage to make the effects fit into the overall look of the film quite well, something several big-budget movies haven’t managed. The remainder of the effects, from witches spells to flying airships, are decent but not overwhelming.
Audio
The audio for Stardust is a highlight, with great separation to the surrounds and a solid center channel for dialog that never gets overwhelmed even during the height of the action. There’s not much for bass, though I suppose that’s to be expected in a fantasy set in the middle ages. Ian McKellen is the narrator, and has the perfect voice for the introductory work.
Extras
Stardust ships with very little in the way of extras. There’s a ‘making of’ feature that’s presented in high-definition, as well as the theatrical trailer for the movie. Aside from those few HD items, you get the typical blooper-reel and deleted scenes, presented in standard definition.
It would have been nice to see more in the way of extras for this feature, which has a history that goes unexplored.
The TLDR Summary
Stardust is a cleverly written and well-directed fantasy that stars a whole lot of really talented people. As I mentioned, it draws a lot of comparisons to The Princess Bride, and holds up pretty well in that company.
I was surprised to see the role De Niro played, and more surprised to find he pulled it off with flair. Pfeiffer is still hot as hell, at least for part of the movie, and Charlie Cox’s performance makes me want to see him in more films in the future. Claire Danes…well, what can you say?
Definitely worth checking out.
4 Princess Bride comparisons out of 5
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