For some reason, Matthew Vaughn always has a knack for being attached to many Superhero blockbusters, but always dropping out of them during some point of production. The list includes X-Men 3, Thor and this years' X-Men: Days of Future Past. He has instead focused more on smaller adaptations such as Stardust, Kick-Ass and the upcoming Kingsman: The Secret Service (he did however direct the excellent X-Men: First Class). In a script penned by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Stardust is a romantic comedy which mixes humour and action in all the right ways.

Adapted from Neil Gaiman's book of the same name, Stardust takes place in the normal-looking village of Wall and the magical kingdom of Stormhold, and details a young man called Tristan who made a promise to his lover to bring home a shooting star in exchange for her hand in marriage. The star, in the form of a woman, is being pursued by witches while also wearing a ruby necklace sought after by the princes of Stormhold, as whoever claims it will be the rightful king of the kingdom. 

Having read the book after the seeing the movie, I feel the movie was way more exciting in terms of the characters, as the director has made changes in some parts of the books to accommodate for bigger and climatic set pieces, especially in the final fight with the witches. The movie has also decided crank up the humour which works surprisingly well for a movie set in the medieval ages (akin to Monty Python & the Holy Grail, only without the flesh wounds and rabbits). Filming of Stardust took place mostly in the Scottish highlands and many parts of England, with enough shots of the United Kingdom to rival Peter Jackson's New Zealand effort in Lord of the Rings. The CG, while outdated at times, still manages to stand against the test of time overall with slight grace.

The two leads are supported by Charlie Cox and Claire Danes, as Tristan and the the fallen star Yvaine respectively. Cox's character is rather boring and very hard to like, while his character only gets interesting once he meets a gang of sky pirates and his ego is given a wee push. Danes, on the other hand, turns in an enjoyable take as the lovely star Yvaine, and both her and Cox show good chemistry throughout. The main antagonist in Stardust is played by none other than Michelle Pfeiffer, who portrays the feisty witch who would do anything to steal the star's heart, which will grant her a long time supply of youth.

What makes this movie great aren't the main leads, but the supporting cast that has been peppered around the movie, from Mark Strong's selfish prince Septimus (cause he's the seventh prince? Get it?), to Ricky Gervais' cockney-accented lightning buyer (basically any role he has played in movies), and finally to Robert De Niro's hilarious turn as a captain of a floating ship. De Niro especially shines in this already star-studded cast as the energetic and audacious (in his own way, you'll get it when you watch it) as Captain Shakespeare, while the villains with the likes of Pfeiffer and Strong hold their own, if not steal the show, from the protagonists. Henry Cavill also has a minor role in this, though his blond hair and moustache is a far cry from his current Man of Steel look.

Stardust, while not the most ground breaking of films, is a solid film oozing with character and laughs, while staying at arms length with the source material. This film pulls its strength from a talented ensemble cast and a big sack of laughs. If you're in the mood for romantic comedy in a fantasy world, or perhaps in the mood for a movie which deviates from the blockbusters in recent years, Stardust is high up the recommendation list.

8.0/10