Oldies but Goldies - How Stardust Teaches the Young Generation a Lesson

"Stardust" is based on the novel and comic series by renowned writer Neil Gaiman and is directed by Mathew Vaughn. And, to be honest, it rocks. Now that the dust (pun intended) has settled on the first craze caused by the movie's release, we can take a good, calm look at it and state again that it's a lot more than just "The Lord of the Rings" in fairy-hyped mode. It is in fact a beautiful, exhilarating, all-age fantasy story that blends adventure, drama and fast paced action together into a mix that manages to stay fresh and appealing despite the fantasy movie standards raised high by the likes of Tolkien and Rowling-based movies. Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, and especially Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert de Niro stretch their acting legs in this quirky, sometimes dark, sometimes scary and always entertaining peek into a world that we'd like to have for our own.

The story centers around Tristram (Cox) and his desire to please his whimsical and shallow love interest, who asks for nothing but a piece of a shooting star in return for never ending love and devotion. Only the shooting star in question has undergone a little makeover and is now a beautiful (if somehow Gwineth Paltrow-looking) young woman, who has to hide and escape the undaunted pursuit of a whole other bunch of bad guys except Tristram, who's obviously the one meant to get all the benefits of the learning experience. While, of course, engaging in dazzling adventures and managing to keep his credibility and sense of humor intact, which makes him a lovable, if sometimes too nice would-be hero.

But Stardust is just another way of saying "oldies are goldies". The true delight of the story lies with Pfeiffer and de Niro, who despite not being twenty, skinny and with a passion for booze (thank God!) steal the show (both of them together and in turn one from the other) by their funny, inspired portrayal of a slightly creepy but amazingly beautiful (at times) witch and a soft-voiced pirate that goes by the name of Captain Shakespeare. I don't mean to offend Johnny Depp in any way, but de Niro's performance makes his characters at time even stranger, funnier and quirkier than famous Sparrow, though perhaps not as tame. But his performance is enough to galvanize the whole movie while providing an inspiration for the younger crew, who is equally motivated to shine and please. Which goes to show that Hollywood still has plenty to offer to those of us really interested in quality - even when it comes to fairy tales and pirates and witches!

Overall, a great movie. There's plenty of adventure, humor, rather too much death and violence and overall, a sense of credibility that makes for more than 50 percent of the movie's appeal. There is no wide-eyed "oh, wow, I'm a wizard, I can do magic" or "this is just like real magic" atmosphere in Stardust. There is instead a good plot, a great cast and a director whose fans are well aware of his inclination for drama and Shakespeare in particular. There is a natural sense of development and continuity blended in the movie along with the characters' sense of purpose and refusal to take themselves too seriously that makes for a great view irrespective of age or expectations. Stardust will swipe you off your feet for sure. If you haven't seen it, you've missed a great treat. So go see it already!