Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name was my introduction to his directorial genius. At the time, the story, the ensemble cast including Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Strong & the narration by Ian McKellen blew my mind. But I was also impressed by how it was directed.

The Premise: is set in a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he’ll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.

Review: I mentioned being blown away by the ensemble cast because when i first watched Stardust it was dubbed in French – yes I’m fluent in Molière’s language. I fell in love with the movie then but once I saw it in English I realized the nuances that were lost to me in the French version. For example, I had always assumed – despite the story partly taking place in the UK – that all of the actors were speaking in an american accent – I know, I can be stupid sometimes. So it was weird to hear British accents, coming out of Danes’ & Pfeiffer’s mouths.

The fairy tale epic has everything we came to expect in a Vaughn movie, an awesome storytelling, great cynical jokes intertwined with a captivating adventure. Stardust is surprising and incredibly entertaining, as the story unfolds you dive into big new fantasy world that manages to feel very intimate. The film gets so riveting that it’s a good escape, a relaxing movie that helps to take your mind off of your problems.

The cast is just amazing, the acting is good, and it feels like each and every part – big or small – was written for a specific actor that would give the part what it needs to shine when on screen. For example, Peter O’toole’s part is small but memorable, Robert De Niro’s character is so much fun and not as cliché as I thought he’d be. He’s probably one of the most surprising character in the film. Watching the movie now is even more impressive because so much of the people cast in it are big stars now e.g. Henry Cavill. So it’s an added bonus to watch the film these days and notice these then unknown actors who helped make the Stardust experience magical. 

Stardust is not perfect but it works, you can’t really hate it even if fairy tale, fantasy movies are not your thing but if you’ve seen it let me know what you think?