Stardust (2007)

Ian McKellen. Now there's a great choice for a narrator. If you absolutely feel you must have one. Off to an adventure it is!

As not too unusual I would like to start with a complaint. Any movie using the term "one true love" without sarcasm is in trouble. And in that respect it does try a bit too hard, but I suppose you can insert a bit of self-irony with the pirate named Shakespeare.

As far as adventures go, the details are important, and there are some good ones there. The goat named Billy for instance. Worth a snicker. Gay jokes? Sure, why not? Even decent ones. And ghosts of different dead brothers applauding and making jokes as we go. Not at all bad.

Our protagonist is the usual wanker, however. Clumsy, socially awkward, and picked on by many. Most mainstream and annoying for half an hour, then suddenly he transforms into the perfect adventure-partner. Right...

Peter O'Toole though is gleefully evil and wicked. A most worthy man to liven up an adventure with a small part. And as he lays the ground rule for the adventure, including the Macguffin, this is most important.

The people you meet are an integral part of an adventure. David Marshall, Ricky Gervais, Robert de Niro are among the lucky ones. Peculiar characters, good for a smile and some time spent. De Niro feels a bit wasted though, this is hardly an ideal way to get the best out of him, and in drag it's just ridiculous. Not the good kind. Furthermore the entertaining characters are a bit far apart at times. Pfeiffer's not bad but a bit obvious.

And while we're at the actors, Danes and Charlie Cox don't have too much chemistry and Danes doesn't really deliver on the old English dialect that they try to get from the others here and although they must endure a bit together, there is not much of a build-up until he is no longer a mouse. And then she glows. Literally. Symbolism above and beyond.

Towards the end there are of course the obligatory misunderstandings and lack of time to fix grave consequences. Most predictable, and absolutely following a pattern. Even the music has the same buildup as most other adventure-films. Though I suppose it works. Now as it did then. And that's pretty much the summation here. This is mostly a predictable thing, but it is thoroughly crafted and not without creativity and aforethought. Besides, it's darker than what you usually get from adventures like these, most likely thanks to Neil Gaiman. So I suppose it's alright. Even though the last 2 minutes are so nonsensical it leaves you annoyed at the end regardless.

6/10