Stardust (the movie)

The wife and I (and my sister) went to see Stardust Friday night. I had wanted to see it for a while, but with my work, my wife's school, and our baby, it just slipped through. But our movie-savvy friend told us we just HAD to see it. So we did.

Let me tell you, this is a great movie. It's based on Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel of the same name. And let me tell you, so few fantasy novels translate as well to screen as this one did. It probably helped that Gaiman was a producer.

Just to get started, let's look at the cast: Claire Danes (who I've thought was hot since her "My So-Called Life" days; Michelle Pfeiffer, who turns fifty next year and still looks amazing; Sienna Miller; Peter O'Toole; Robert DeNiro, in a hilarious role that he wouldn't have been able to do twenty years ago; Rupert Everett; Mark Williams (aka Mr. Weasley from the Harry Potter movies) as a billy goat; Ricky Gervais (Night at the Museum, For Your Consideration), and is narrated by Ian McKellen.Every character is well done, the story is original and funny, and the special effects are amazing.

Now, to the plot. It's really pretty complicated, so here's a synopsis from imdb:

A young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) tries to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the beautiful but cold object of his desire, by going on a quest to retrieve a fallen star. His journey takes him to a mysterious and forbidden land beyond the walls of his village. On his odyssey, Tristan finds the star, which has transformed into a striking girl named Yvaine (Claire Danes). However, Tristan is not the only one seeking the star. Lord Stormhold's (Peter O'Toole) three living sons not to mention the ghosts of their four dead brothers all need the star as they vie for the throne. Tristan must also overcome the evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), who needs the star to make her young again. As Tristan battles to survive these threats, encountering a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro) and a shady trader named Ferdy the Fence (Ricky Gervais) along the way, his quest changes. He must now win the heart of the star for himself as he discovers the meaning of true love

Sound fun? Well it is, so watch it.

I bought the book for my wife's birthday, so I'll have to read that and see if it's just as good. But for now, I'll depart with some pictures: