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Stardust
I'll preface this by saying that I'm a big Neil Gaiman fan and that this film (and Juno) would have made it to my top 100 list if I hadn't already been done with the arranging of it and most way through the posting of it before I saw either of the films.
The one thing that Neil Gaiman knows how to do extremely well is tell a story. In Stardust, he weaves a very entertaining and interesting story throughout the whole thing. And while the story in the movie isn't the same as the story in the book (Captain Shakespeare wasn't even a character in the book), Gaiman's originally story isn't ruined. It probably helped that Gaiman was so involved in the making of the film and the changes that were made to the story. Also, the dialog in the film is very good and entertaining. This bit is one of the best:
Visually this film is done very well. The amount of CGI used blends very seamlessly into the film making the fantasy world that is created a thing of beauty. And while it is a weird variety and combination of things in this story in the fantasy world, it doesn't just seem like a mishmash of things thrown together, but they all work together and look good together.
The acting was also surprisingly solid in this film. I knew that Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Robert De Niro, and Michelle Pfeiffer would all do solid jobs, but not knowing much about Charlie Cox, I was a little worried about how well he would pull off the main character. But he did so with a very solid performance. While De Niro stole the show, Charlie Cox did a strong enough job that he wasn't ever lost, even when around De Niro's character.
Overall this is a film that is very entertaining. With a lot of films coming out in the fantasy genre, this one is definitely one of the better ones made.
Overall Grade: A
Story: A+
Acting: B
Audio/Visual: A
I'll preface this by saying that I'm a big Neil Gaiman fan and that this film (and Juno) would have made it to my top 100 list if I hadn't already been done with the arranging of it and most way through the posting of it before I saw either of the films.
The one thing that Neil Gaiman knows how to do extremely well is tell a story. In Stardust, he weaves a very entertaining and interesting story throughout the whole thing. And while the story in the movie isn't the same as the story in the book (Captain Shakespeare wasn't even a character in the book), Gaiman's originally story isn't ruined. It probably helped that Gaiman was so involved in the making of the film and the changes that were made to the story. Also, the dialog in the film is very good and entertaining. This bit is one of the best:
Tristan: Oh, excuse me, madame, sorry, this may see strange but, have you seen a falling star anywhere?
Yvaine: You're funny.
Tristan: No, really. We're in a crater, this must be where it fell.
Yvaine: [sarcastic] Yeah, this where it fell. It is, or if you want to be really specific up there
[pointing to the sky]
Yvaine: is where this weird bloody necklace
[shows him the necklace around her neck]
Yvaine: came out of nowhere and knocked it out of the heavens without minding it's own bussines. And over there is where it landed. And right here, here is where it got hit by a magical flying MORON!
Yvaine: You're funny.
Tristan: No, really. We're in a crater, this must be where it fell.
Yvaine: [sarcastic] Yeah, this where it fell. It is, or if you want to be really specific up there
[pointing to the sky]
Yvaine: is where this weird bloody necklace
[shows him the necklace around her neck]
Yvaine: came out of nowhere and knocked it out of the heavens without minding it's own bussines. And over there is where it landed. And right here, here is where it got hit by a magical flying MORON!
The acting was also surprisingly solid in this film. I knew that Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Robert De Niro, and Michelle Pfeiffer would all do solid jobs, but not knowing much about Charlie Cox, I was a little worried about how well he would pull off the main character. But he did so with a very solid performance. While De Niro stole the show, Charlie Cox did a strong enough job that he wasn't ever lost, even when around De Niro's character.
Overall this is a film that is very entertaining. With a lot of films coming out in the fantasy genre, this one is definitely one of the better ones made.
Overall Grade: A
Story: A+
Acting: B
Audio/Visual: A