by Manny The Movie Guy

Created on: October 20, 2007

Upon seeing the trailer for "Stardust," I was quick to relegate it to the "Lord of the Rings" wannabe category. I mean come on wicked witches, flying ships, magical stars, mysterious kingdom the only thing missing is the one ring to rule them all.

But after watching "Stardust," I fell into the spell of this fantastic film! I vow never to judge a movie by its marketing campaign.

"Stardust" tells the whimsical tale of Tristan (Charlie Cox), a romantic fool who lives in the non-magical land of Wall, so named for the cobblestone wall that keeps the villagers safely apart from the supernatural universe that lies on the other side.

Tristan wants to win the heart of the girl of his dreams, Victoria (Sienna Miller). One night, as they are stargazing, a bright shooting star falls from the sky. Tristan makes a wild-eyed promise that he will bring Victoria the fallen star. But he must first cross over the forbidden wall.

Meanwhile, in the magical kingdom of Stormhold, a dying King (Peter O'Toole) is surrounded by his sons, each wanting to succeed the throne and willing to do anything to become king including murdering each other.

The King casts a spell on a stone, and whoever can find it will be the next ruler. The enchanted stone furiously flies out of the castle's window and collides with the falling star hundreds of miles away.

But another entity, far more sinister, is also after the star. Lamia (deliciously played by Michelle Pfeiffer), a truly wicked witch, needs the star so she and her sisters can regain their power and youthful beauty.

Thus begins the chase for the fallen star. A romantic man, a band of scheming princes, and a wicked witch all desire just one thing: the star's heart.

Claire Danes plays the star, literally. Her name is Yvaine, who takes the human form as she reaches earth. The first to find her is Tristan. Now, he must learn to protect her from the witch and the princes, in order to fulfill his own destiny becoming a hero.

From the imaginations of respected comic book author, Neil Gaiman, "Stardust' is the star-crossed love story of the 21st century. The film captures the whimsical nature of its comic book origins.

Adding humor to the movie and eventually stealing the film (along with Pfeiffer) is Robert De Niro as Captain Shakespeare, the leader of a flying ship. He's a man of mystery and has a dark, deep but funny secret.

"Stardust" works because of its astute director, Matthew Vaughn, who also wrote and produced the film. Who knew that a street smart filmmaker with a super-macho list of films to his credit (he produced "Snatch" and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" and directed "Layer Cake") could create a romantic fantasy movie with its heart in all the right places?

The 80s gave us romantic fantasy films such as "Legend," "Willow," and "The Princess Bride" to name a few but "Stardust" is a cut above the rest. It's funny without being too campy, the action scenes are nerve-wracking, and the special effects are magical (surprising, for its comparatively cheap budget of $70M).

"Stardust" is my pick of the week and I guarantee that you will fall in love with this fairy tale. And for that, "Stardust" gets 3 shimmering kisses

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