Stardust
Villains pursue a fallen star that takes the form of a beautiful woman.
Like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, Stardust is a fantasy movie for regular people, said Stephanie Zacharek in Salon.com. Few filmgoers would identify themselves as fantasy fans'”the serious geeks who wear jester caps, go to conventions, and adore Neil Gaiman's Stardust graphic novel series. Stardust, while chock-full of princes and witches and human-animal transfiguration, is a fantasy movie for the rest of us. The film, as directed by Matthew Vaughn, 'œis imaginative and intricate, but it's also joyfully casual, maybe to the point of being a little messy in places.' Though decked out in fanciful detail, the movie has a heartfelt, fast-moving plot, said Stephen Holden in The New York Times. The peasant Tristan (Charlie Cox) promises his girlfriend (Sienna Miller) that he'll cross into the fantasy realm to catch a falling star for her. When he gets there, he finds that the star has assumed the form of a beautiful woman (Claire Danes), and that she's coveted by a host of villains, including a sextet of evil princes and the youth-obsessed witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer). Pfeiffer goes all out here, creating 'œas deliciously evil a witch as the movies have ever invented.' Sometimes, though, the movie is overtaken by its silly subplots, special effects, and celebrity cameos, said Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly. Those are the moments when 'œStardust resembles nothing so much as the world's most deluxe episode of H.R. Pufnstuf.'
Rating: PG-13
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plunge
Speed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Dozens dead in Kashmir as terrorists target tourists
Speed Read Visitors were taking pictures and riding ponies in a popular mountain town when assailants open fired, killing at least 26
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm markets
Speed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
By Peter Weber, The Week US