Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Robert De Niro
Rating: PG-13

Charlie Cox and Claire Danes in Stardust. (Courtesy photo)

When I saw the preview for Stardust, I knew I would see it. I told myself it would probably be awkward and silly, if the insecure trailer were any indication. And I figured it probably wouldn’t garner terribly good reviews or a very large audience. It turns out few people did see it this past weekend. However, Stardust was warmly received by critics, and I’m happy to add my own warm words. I thought it was delightful even though it tries to cover far more ground than its 128 minutes can support. Most of its big action scenes come and go in a flash, and most of its big emotional payoffs fall a little short. But director Matthew Vaughn and co-screenwriter Jane Goldman have managed to convey the spirit of the source material’s creator, Neil Gaiman. Stardust is as good a fairy tale as has come along in quite awhile.

The town of Wall is named for the wall that borders one end of it, protecting the town from the magical realm on the other side. Young shop boy Tristran (Charlie Cox) is hopelessly in love with beautiful Victoria (Sienna Miller), who is equally in love with herself. When he sees a star fall out of the sky, Tristran offers Victoria the star in exchange for her hand in marriage. She smugly accepts the impossible offer, and he sets off to find the star. In what turns into a far greater adventure, Tristran discovers the star is in the form of a woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes). The two are pursued by youth-hungry witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), along with two prince brothers (Mark Strong is Septimus, Jason Flemyng is Primus) searching for a ruby that would make the finder king. Tristran and Yvaine also meet up with a strange collection of sky pirates, led by Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro). Before his adventure ends, Tristran will learn that he is far more than just an ordinary shop boy.

Based on Gaiman’s graphic novel, Stardust takes many elements of classic fairy tales and adds its own spin. There are an awful lot of rules to follow—rules that must be memorized if the results are to be truly satisfying. Too often the satisfaction of a moment is only reached just afterward, when a character explains what was so special about it. And while there are many interesting characters populating Gaiman’s world, we’re forced to rush through the whole adventure without getting to spend enough time with them. De Niro and his pirate gang are great fun, and we would have gladly spent more time on his flying ship. Also welcome would have been more of the other prince brothers, now dead, who tag along to find out which brother will retrieve the jewel and win the crown. Matthew Vaughn made his name with the brutal 2004 thriller Layer Cake. Stardust is quite the departure, carrying a frothiness from start to finish. Vaughn keeps the proceedings dancing even though this world is anything but safe. If only he had honed the key moments a little further, Vaughn might have worked the same magic that resides in Stardust’s inevitable comparison, The Princess Bride. While Stardust comes up shy of that marvelous film, it exceeds most others of its tricky genre.

Never mind the big names you see on the poster; Charlie Cox is the star of the movie. Cox (Merchant of Venice, Casanova) shyly stutters out so many of his lines he says practically everything three times. But he’s very sympathetic, and evolves just enough into a dashing hero to win us over. Claire Danes is an odd choice to play an ethereal being with a British accent. But she turns out to be quite wonderful, and that accent is impressive. Michelle Pfeiffer thoroughly enjoys her evil role, though she has so much fun that she isn’t as threatening as she might be. De Niro is a hoot as the pirate captain with a very deep secret. Mark Strong is great fun as the remorseless Septimus. Strong must be some kind of dynamic actor—I can barely recognize the man who played George Clooney’s Middle Eastern contact Mussawi in Syriana. The supporting cast is full of treats, including Ricky Gervais (Extras) as Ferdy the Fence, Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding) as Secundus, ancient David Kelly (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as the guard of the Wall, and British TV veteran Melanie Hill as Ditchwater Sal.

It would be a shame if Stardust were to slip out of theaters and our memory. It is a very enjoyable movie for the whole family—although there is some violence, the PG-13 rating seems a little strong. In all, Stardust exceeds expectations even if it falls short of its full potential. Movies as special as The Princess Bride are very rare. While waiting for the next one to come along, you could do a lot worse than see Stardust.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, California, and works for the Cartoon Network. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard residents for many years.