When it comes to fictional prose, Neil Gaiman is one of the top names in the business. He is already assured immortality in the comic book world on the grounds of his landmark “Sandman” series. On top of that, he has effectively made the transition to fantasy novels, many of which have become best sellers. Unfortunately, his success has, for the most part, failed to translate to the moving image. “Stardust”, an adaptation of one of his better-known novels, is the most high profile effort to date. It boasts hotshot “Layer Cake” director Matthew Vaughn at the helm, and a cast of A-list talent (albeit in supporting roles), including Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro, both of whom have seemingly chosen this movie to end their recent stint of being MIA on the big screen. The budget is big, the worlds are fantastical, and the creative imagination of Gaiman, also listed as a producer, is clearly on display. In light of all of this, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where “Stardust” goes so wrong.
Newcomer Charlie Cox plays the young hero Tristran, a love-smitten average joe who sets off to forbidden lands in search of a fallen star, all to woo the local tart, played by Sienna Miller. Tristran finds the star, but gets more than he bargained for when it turns out the star is actually a supposed ethereal beauty named Yvaine, played by Claire Danes. “Supposed”? Yes, it may sound superficial, but the fact is that Claire Danes looks downright haggish in this movie. They keep saying how unbelievable beautiful she is, and even add a supernatural CG glow around her for good measure, but she just looks draggy and tired the whole time. To make matters worse for her, this is the worst performance I’ve seen from her to date. I’ve seen Danes be good in movies before (“Terminator 3”), and I’ve even seen her be great (“Shopgirl”), but egads, if only Sarah Michelle Gellar would’ve taken this role (which she supposedly turned down).
Anyway, Tristran and Yvaine end up on the run from Pfeiffer’s evil witch, who wants to eat the heart of the fallen star in order to attain immortal beauty. In the looks department, Pfeiffer almost makes up for Danes – that is, when she’s not transforming into a ghoulish hag - which is most of the movie. They also end up prisoners of Robert De Niro, a tough talking pirate captain with a secret. (Oooo! Can you guess?? You’ll only need one chance.) Both De Niro and Pfeiffer do their best to play their parts with a degree of natural zest, but ultimately seem shoehorned into hamminess and scenery chewing. Peter O’Toole also shows up for a split second as the token dying old king.
The knowing mix of tongue-in-cheek humor with classic storybook action and romance suggests that this movie wishes it were the next “Princess Bride”. For undemanding moviegoers, maybe it will fit that bill. But it really doesn’t ever come close, and in the end, the attempt is just painfully transparent. Poor Charlie Cox does all right as the swashbuckling hero (clearly Orlando Bloom wasn’t available), but the sheer unwieldiness of the rest of the movie steamrollers him. And, I’m sure, Matthew Vaughn, for that matter. I haven’t seen a whole lot of new movies this year, but from what few I have gotten to, “Stardust” unfortunately resides at the bottom of the list. The cinematic curse of Neil Gaiman continues. Let’s hope Robert Zemeckis has better luck breaking it with “Beowulf” later this year, as the writer shares screenplay credit with Roger Avery on that one.
- Jim Tudor
Thanks, Jim. Sad to say that I agree 100%. After seeing the film, I became reluctant to meet my scheduled interview with Matthew Vaughn and was glad when a family emergency caused him to cancel. I just really didn't want to talk to him about this movie.
I liked Charlie Cox enough; he was a sensual mix of innocent and adventurous and it's refreshing to see a hero with some hair on his chest. And Claire Danes ... well, I wouldn't go so far as to say "haggish"; but, I've seen her look better and I've seen her handle her Shakespearean accents better too.
I saw Stardust the day after seeing Hairspray and couldn't help but trace what is now appearing to be Michelle Pfeiffer's new modus operandi. I wonder how many Ice Queens she's going to play in a row?
The whole DeNiro angle was a complete stretch. Didn't believe it for a second and really wanted it to be overwith.
I've got my fingers crossed for Beowulf as well. We can hope, can't we?
Sigh... I wanted so much for this to succeed -- "Stardust" is probably my fave Gaiman work -- but it makes me sad that I'll probably have to lower my expectations a lot more than I thought.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that I saw this film way back in mid-June, so I didn't want to comment on how I thought the visual effects were half-baked, at best. With two months before the releasse date, that's the kind of thing they may've polished up. Anyone care to comment?
pdli_5, I also agree completely about the sleeping together business. But as far as Gaiman and Vess giving their thumbs up, I know sometimes it is hard to detach yourself from something when you've been so intimately involved with not only creating it, but also probably marketing it to the movie people. Not saying these guys necessarily sold out, but if they really are happy with this in say, 5 years, then they're the ones with stardust in their eyes.
I thought the effects worked fine. The pirate ship, albeit a bit 4-dimensional on the inside, was incredible! The first shot of the Stormhold Castle, zooming in from miles away, shooting up the side, over the top and in through sky-light was dizzying. :) All and all, effects were top-notch.
As far as longevity, how it will stand up in 5 years, it's not (despite the obvious comparisons) 'Princess Bride', but I think it will still hold it's own.
Looking forward, beyond 'Beowulf', to 'Coraline', 'Death: THOL' and 'Interworlds'.
Caught Stardust Tonite. Thoroughly enjoyed it. (Full disclosure: I'm not a N.Gaiman fan, and the script for MirrorMask was very weak). But Vaughn and Actors sell the material on the level it should be enjoyed at. It's fun and feels a tad like Joss Whedon's Princess Bride with a dash of Labyrinth and Baron Munchousen (if that makes any sense, or does not insult anyone..that's just what I made of the whole thing).
Nice to see Dexter Fletcher in there as DeNiro's first mate. DeNiro should be embarrassing himself here, but pulls his part of with some real energy!) Gervais and O'Toole cameos are fun, as is Mark "Brian from Spaced" Heap and Ruprett Everett) Certainly the fun of the film is in the variety supporting characters.
For the record, I'm now glad Vaughn made this over X3.
Mark Heap is from now on officially called Mark "Brian from Spaced" Heap. ;-)
Knew I'd seen him somewhere!