Beyond the town of Wall lays a not so imaginary kingdom Stormhold, supposedly forbidden to the townsmen of Wall. Ironically, the town of Wall and Stormhold is separated by a wall which is guarded by a tiny old man.

With just a week to prove what his love for Victoria (Sienna Miller), the prettiest girl in town, is worth, Tristan (Charlie Cox) barges past the wall in a bid to collect a fallen star which has assumed the form of a human named Yvaine (Claire Danes). The unassuming Tristan troops off to retrieve the fallen star, not knowing who he’ll meet and what kind of an adventure he’s in for.

While Tristan is the first to get to Yvaine, he’s not the only one who seeks for her as the existence of the fallen star also attracts 3 bloodthirsty witches, hungry for Yvaine’s heart, which will restore their youth and beauty. Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), the most powerful of the 3 witch sisters, sets out to get Yvaine’s heart.. At the same time, the heirs to the throne of Stormhold fight their way to get hold of the ruby necklace in Yvaine’s possession just so they can assume the throne.

It may be a natural reaction for some to compare Stardust to whimsical, fantastical movies such as The Chronicles of Narniaand the oh-so-mighty Harry Potter series. But this take on magical voyages is a pleasant watch as the fairytale storyline is splashed with surprises and laughter along the way. The DC Comics mini-series turned novel by Neil Gaiman is so well conceived by director Matthew Vaughn that the boring ole’ fairytale was stripped of its conventional packaging and given an all new presentation.

The all star cast consisting of Sienna Miller, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Robert DeNiro and Charlie Cox made the experience of watching the film all the better. Pfeiffer did an excellent job of carrying the role as an evil witch who would stop at nothing to extract Yvaine’s heart, clouding upon even you as the audience a sense of inferiority.

A certain scene where Pfeiffer eats the remnants of some other fallen star’s heart and instantly regains her youth was reminiscent of how the 49-year-old actress still looks superb despite being almost half a century old. If there’s any actress who could play a vile old witch and still look hot, it would be Pfeiffer indeed.

The captain, who has his “reputation” to keep, also has a secret to keep. DeNiro was highly entertaining. One could not help but smile in the cinema while watching his on-screen character.

The main cast of the show, Danes and Cox, also deserves high praise. For someone who is considered a newcomer among big names like DeNiro and Pfeiffer, Cox did held his own fantastically, bringing through the essence of the town boy who finally became a hero. Danes, who has been known for picking roles and films well, deferring from the norm by not participating in commercial movies, has proved her elusiveness as she literally shines like a star.

Definitely a movie which leaves you with a feel good factor, Stardust is the movie to catch for anyone and everyone. After all, there is no one too young or old to indulge in a fairytale is there?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie Details:

Opens: Nov 1

Running Time: 128 mins

Cast: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller

Director: Matthew Vaughn