Product Description

Escape into the enchanted world of chivalry and romance in Stardust, an epic tale starring Claire Danes with Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro. In hopes of wooing a beautiful girl (Sienna Miller), Tristan (Charlie Cox) promises to bring her a falling star. But he’s in for the adventure of his life when he discovers the star is actually a celestial beauty named Yvaine (Danes) When an old witch Lamia (Pfeiffer) attempts to steal Yvaine’s youth, Tristan must protect her at all costs, in this magical family adventure that will make you fall in love over and over again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2813 in DVD
• Brand: DANES,CLAIRE
• Released on: 2007-12-18
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 127 minutes

Amazon.com
Stardust settles over the viewer like a twinkly cloak. The film, which captures the magic and vision of author Neil Gaiman's fantasy graphic fable, is a transportive journey into a world of true enchantment, which fans of the Harry Potter books will enjoy as well as will adults looking for the perfect date movie. The tale is a not-so-simple love story and adventure, set in 19th century England--and an alternate universe of witches, spells and stars that turn human--and hold the key to eternal life.

Young Tristan (played with wide-eyed vigor by Charlie Cox) vows to retrieve a fallen star for the most beautiful girl in the village, the shallow Victoria (Sienna Miller), and in his quest, finds his true love--in a true "meet-cute" moment (by Babylon-candle-speeding into the just-crashed human incarnation of the star, Claire Danes). Much of the film involves the duo's journey back home--though home for Tristan is his village, and home for the celestial Yvaine is, of course, in the heavens. There are villains, notably Michelle Pfeiffer as the vain witch who seeks the fountain of youth a fallen star can give, and the seven venal sons of the dying king of the mythical realm, backstabbing, grasping, and hilarious--even in death as a ghostly Greek chorus.

While the sparks of love between Tristan and Yvaine are resonant and touching, Stardust truly succeeds as a brilliant fantasy yarn--and as a comedy with more than its share of belly laughs. Much of the humor belongs to Robert De Niro, who plays a notoriously wicked air pirate, who is secretly a bit light in his swashbucklers. Ricky Gervais has a small but memorable role essentially channeling his character from Extras, including his catchphrase, "Are you having a laugh?!" The special effects are all that any fan of Gaiman would wish for. Catch a bit of Stardust and you'll feel enchanted for a good long while. --A.T. Hurley

Customer Reviews

A new classic
The story begins in the 19th-century village of Wall. But Wall isn't your average country village -- it guards a low, stony wall between mundane England and the fantasy kingdom of Stormhold. No one crosses the wall -- except for young Drustan Thorn, whose curiosity led him to an otherworldly market and a single night of passion with a captive gypsy -- or princess -- and nine months later he was given a son, Tristan, who was left for him by the wall.

Flash forward 18 years, and Tristan (Charlie Cox) hopes to win the heart of his beautiful but shallow love, Victoria (Sienna Miller), by recovering a star that fell somewhere beyond that wall. So Tristan sets forth on his own journey in Stormhold. Meanwhile in that magical land, the dying king (Peter O'Toole) has set his four surviving sons on a quest for the crown. And the witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) is seeking the heart of the star for an entirely different purpose, one that probably will not turn out well for anyone else involved in the story.

Despite initial trepidations over seeing a favorite Neil Gaiman story converted to film, "Stardust" is all I could hope for. The settings and scenery are lush and beautiful. The effects are seamless and spectacular. The score by Ilan Eshkeri is dramatic. Narration by Ian McKellen is compelling. And the casting is exceptional, from Robert De Niro as the delightful sky pirate Captain Shakespeare to Pfeiffer as the sumptuously evil witch.

Claire Danes is absolutely radiant as Yvaine, who in one way or another holds the resolution of every quest. Poised, beautiful and sporting a great English country accent, Danes glows even without the benefit of special effects. And Tristan Thorn is a classic everyman hero, a simple young man who grows and flourishes on his journey; Cox captures the role perfectly. A relative newcomer to the screen, he's without question an actor to watch.

Gaiman is a brilliant writer, a man with an imagination like no other. Fortunately, director Matthew Vaughn bucked the Hollywood trend by respecting the source material, creating a splendid film, one that will surely become a classic for generations to come.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(NET) editor

Classic film--with a small kid warning
Wall looks like just about every other English village, but it hides a secret. It's not jolly old England on the other side of the wall. Few mundane English travelers ever make it over the wall and back. Drustan (Nathaniel Parker-Ben Barnes) is one of the few--and nine months later, a son was delivered to him at his doorstep.

The son Tristan (Charlie Cox) grows to 19 and falls in love with Victoria (Sienna Miller) a woman well above his means. He fears his ability to capture her heart is failing, til they see a star fall on the other side of the wall--and Victoria tells him if he will seek out the star, she will be his.

Thus, begins Tristan's quest for true love. Instead of a star, he finds a maiden Yvaine (Clare Danes) who turns out to be the earth-bound embodiment of the star. Unfortunately, Victoria is not the only person who wants the star.

From here, we encounter a multiplicity of plot complications including a King (Peter O'Toole) who sets his sons against each other in a fight for succession to the throne, a pirate (Robert DeNiro) with an interesting secret) and a triad of witches who seek the star to extend their lives and (ahem) beauty.

I loved reading Neil Gaiman's story. STARDUST is one of his best, but the film is one of those rare instances where the book has been improved. The casting for STARDUST is some of the best I have seen.

This is one of the rare films that I paid full price for in the theatre and will purchase the DVD for later viewing. STARDUST is going to be a fantasy classic and a great addition to any fantasy fan's library.

WARNING: If you have very young children, please do not show this film without some advisory. We saw STARDUST in the theatre with a couple of young families close by and the littlest kids were crying at the rough parts and some families had to leave.

Stardust, a must on HD
The first time I saw this movie, I didn't have high expectations. The trailer looked silly and I had practically disregarded the movie. Lately, actors of the size of Robert De Niro (who now can do anything they want) have been doing some campy and really bad movies (like Meet the Parents), so not even the big names were enough to interest me.

But then I started reading some reviews on imdb a couple of weeks after the movie got out. A lot of them agreed that the trailer didn't do justice to the film, and that although still not taking itself seriously, the movie somehow shined far beyond expectations. So I decided to give it try, and now I'm glad I watched this movie in the big screen.

For those who haven't seen it yet, the trailer indeed falls short. Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro are great, along with everyone else in the cast. The music score is amazing, the special effects are great, and the most important thing of all, the story is funny and it really taps into the best of the best of the fantasy genre.

This movie didn't have the success it deserved on the box office, so please, give it a try. It's not your typical fantasy film, it feels original, fresh, and it really entertains. Since the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, some people might consider it campy at first, but the best way to enjoy this great film is not to expect a deep drama (like the Lord of the Rings), but an entertaining fresh film.

Paramount has gone HD DVD exclusive, and for that we now get Stardust released on both DVD and HD DVD. If you have an HD DVD player, Stardust is a must in High-Def. Anyone who saw this movie in the theaters should agree.

Simply put, the movie is a visual feast without compromising the story and it really deserves a chance. Some may find it a little weird film, but Stardust is a sleeper hit that hopefully will get the success it deserves on DVD and HD DVD.