Writer: Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Charlie Cox, Ian McKellen, Ben Barnes, Sienna Miller, Peter O’Toole, Rupert Everett, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer
Rating: PG 13
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Release Date: December 18, 2007
Stardust is at its core, a fantasy film. It was a film that did not do well at the box office. In fact, it did so bad that I don’t ever even recall it being there. It was one of those moments where, when it showed up on my doorstep I became excited because I thought I wanted to see the movie. Even then, I didn’t have much of an idea of what it was about until I watched it for the first time.
I knew the basics. I knew that movies with Claire Danes are usually worth watching. Add in Michelle Pfeiffer and a good story and things keep getting better. Stardust is a movie filled with excellent acting and a beautiful visual quality. While things might start out somewhat slow, they quickly get going and end in a most enjoyable way. This is one of those rare movies that both older children and parents will like. It’s rare that kids and parents can find something they both truly enjoy once the kids begin to enter the teenage phase, but this movie is an absolute treat and it’s definitely worth watching, if not adding to your collection.
Release Information:
Stardust was released on December 18, 2007 in both standard and HD formats. The film originally was released to a lukewarm reception at the theaters on August 10, 2007. Based on a book, Stardust was a long time in the making. The writer took extreme care in making sure that the right person got a hold of his movie. The results definitely worked as this is far from the typical Hollywood drivel that is put out on a regular basis.
The Stardust HD Plot
The heart of the story revolves around a man named Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox). Tristan is madly in love with a girl named Victoria (Sienna Miller). Though he does not see it, Victoria is shallow and unworthy of him as she pits him against another man, choosing to marry the man who can do more for her rather than loving one for who he is. Money, wealth, and status are more important to Victoria and Tristan may amuse her, but he does not have enough to make her truly love him. This is why she keeps Humphrey (Henry Cavill - The Tudors) around and considers marrying him instead.
Tristan is a loyal, but small town boy that has likely never left his hometown of Wall, while Humphrey is rich and seems to be more worldly than Tristan may ever become. Tristan has an interesting family history, but that is about all that he can offer at this point.
The beginning of the movie tells us how Dunstan Thorn, Tristan’s father (Ben Barnes/Nathaniel Parker) escaped over the large Wall that separates Wall from a magical land called Stormhold. While there, he meets a princess that is turned into a slave girl at the hands of a witch. The two end up enjoying some time together and Dunstan returns home, missing the magical princess. However, nine months later a baby comes to keep him company. The mother, who sends the baby likely due to her being a slave, includes a single candle in the bassinet that has the ability to transport someone who holds it while lit based on the location that they are thinking of at the time.
This candle comes in handy when Tristan goes on a quest for Victoria to find a falling star and to prove his love for her. The old man that guards the breaking point of Wall and Stormhold will not let him through, but with the help of the candle he is transported into the magical land and to the falling star. This is when the adventure truly begins! It does not take long for Tristan to realize that the falling star is actually in human form, and Yvaine (Claire Danes) has no intention of becoming anyone’s gift. Due to an unfortunate twist of fate, Yvaine does not have much of a choice and ends up the rather unwilling (in the beginning) captive of Tristan.
At this point, it doesn’t matter if the beautiful falling star wants to go with him because some evil princes and a trio of witches headed up by the frighteningly ugly Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) want her for their own reasons. Lamia wants the star to make her young and beautiful again. The princes want her to retrieve the amulet she carries (the one that knocked her out of the sky), which will allow one of them to become the heir to the throne now that their father, the King (Peter O’Toole) of Stormhold has died. Obviously, with these surreptitious individuals tracking her, the options are much better for her with Tristan than on her own or with anyone else.
This fantasy movie offers romance, action, danger, and a high flying (in the form of a flying pirate ship) adventure. I believe that Stardust could be one of the biggest movies to come out on DVD all year. The acting was phenomenal. Newcomer, Charlie Cox does an excellent job at standing up to and matching the quality of such amazing performances made by Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, and a smaller but memorable part by Peter O’Toole. Robert DeNiro is absolutely hilarious in the most surprising performance of the year (and his career) as an effeminate pirate with fabulous fashion sense. Each actor here was beautifully cast and excelled beyond expectations to offer performances that should be in every movie.
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Audio/Visual:
The video and audio quality for Stardust HD was definitely nothing to complain about. The video quality I have seen for HD has been better at times, but this was certainly decent. The film offers little noise, grain, and offers a great deal of vibrancy where the colors are concerned. Things are sharp, but not as sharp as I have seen in other HD films. There is a noticeable difference between this version and the standard DVD though, which should seal the HD purchase if you are looking for a higher quality DVD.
The compression rate here was 2.35:1 with the standard HD formatting and additions. When it comes to the audio here, I have yet to come in contact with HD audio that I didn’t like. The sound that was presented is crisp and absolutely vibrant.
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Bonus Features:
The bonus features for Stardust HD are fairly simple. You have a chance to check out both deleted scenes and bloopers. Other than that there are some trailers and a making of feature that rounds out the extras. This is a pretty standard set, where more could have definitely added to it to make it more complete. However, the story is so good on its own that the lack of bonus features did not bother me in the least.
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Bottom Line:
Stardust might have done poorly at the box office, but it is an amazing movie that deserves a good run on DVD. This HD presentation is solid, offering both a great picture and sound quality. The extras could have been better, but the acting and story quality were some of the best of 2007. This movie is highly recommended for purchase.
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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Psychology. She plans to get her Ph.D and work as a therapist in the field of human sexuality. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.
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