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Since the folks behind Lord of the Rings and Potter
discovered just how much money there was to be made with an adaption of
a few pages of a book, some CGI and the word 'magical' - there have
been some utterly abysmal 'fantasy' films.
Some
have earned back
their cash, while most (quite deservedly) suffer the fate of blowing
the budget way out of proportion and gain little of it back at the Box
Office. The major problem seems to lie in the fact that as opposed to
striving for the originality that made the aforementioned hits
successful - they simply slap together 50 fantasy cliche's, a CGI
dragon or two - and hope for the best.
So it's somewhat of a breath of freah air to find a film
which delivers much, much more than the 'Trailer-By Numers' promotion - and the book's cover - may
suggest.
Following
the adventures of a young man who sets out on a quest to prove his love
(by trying to locate a fallen star in a magical land) - and finds far
more than he bargained for, Stardust
(from best selling author Neil Gaiman - see I told you that phrase
would get bandied about!!) is an absolute winner from start to finish.
The
major key to the success of this overtly English tale (the cast is made
up of nearly every cast member of the cult UK comedy Green Wing, as well as the likes of comedian Jimmy Carr and Little Britain's David Walliams) is that it never takes itself too seriously.
Far to often do the likes of Eragon and The Seeker treat
the text like it is of biblical importance - which ultimately makes
watching them not only overtly unoriginal, but downright boring. Since
when should watching a magical fantasy story about wizards and drangons
feel like Sunday School homework? Stardust,
thankfully, keeps humour by it's side the entire way through -
ultimately making it one of the most enjoyable and original fantasy
films to hit DVD since before young Harry Potter had pubes!
Of
course there's all the fantastical cliches one would expect - Witches,
Magic, Kings, Ghosts, Forbidden Walls, Curses, Glowing Women, Peter
O'Toole - but it's how each is delt with that truly sets this gem of a
flick apart from the pack.
The cast is phenomanal - and prior to actually seeing
the film, even I questioned why the likes of DeNiro and Rick Gervais
would lend their names to what seemed like such unoriginal & tired
genre material. But moments into DeNiro's apperance on screen, and
you'll know exactly why. Originality - plain and simple.
There's
plenty more familiar faces on offer: Sienna Miller, Claire Danes (who
looks like a border line albino... who ever suggested to her to "Shave
the Eyebrows" needs to be sacked), Michelle Pfeiffer, David Kelly and
Rupert Everett to name but a few. All deliver top notch performances,
each dripping with tongue in cheek humour and a real sense of enjoyment.
While certainly not in the league of Potter or Rings, Stardust
is irresistably enjoyable viewing - and testament to the fact that you
should never judge a book by it's cover... or promo poster... or
trailer.
EXTRAS
The
usual fodder is on offer here (not a great deal to much, which may have
something to do with the fact that the film didn't exactly set the Box
Office alight) with an interesting featurette "Good Omens: The Making
of Stardust", Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel and the Theatrical Trailer
(which of course, totally misrepresents how good the flick actually is).
Already this has been touted as the next 'Cult Classic' after The Princess Bride, so it will be interesting to see how well this does on DVD. Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: 60%
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