There’s yet more to the story. In his quest to return to his village, Tristan and Yvaine catch a ride on a flying ship commanded by Shakespeare (Robert De Niro)—a tough-as-nails captain in front of his men, but a lover of frilly women’s clothes and makeup when his crew is out of sight. De Niro’s performance brings a broad comic tone to the proceedings, and while the purpose of Shakespeare and his crew to the overall resolution of the plot is tenuous, the performances are so entertaining that most viewers won’t notice, or care.

Although cluttered with characters, Stardust rarely lags. We’re not so much vested in the outcome of Tristan’s romantic future as we are in enjoying the shenanigans among the king’s three sons, Lamia, and Captain Shakespeare and his shipmates. The witches’ dark powers are disturbing at times, but the women are never portrayed as anything other than evil and conniving. The only character with good intentions is Tristan, whose transformation from smitten village boy to swaggering hero is nicely pulled off by the likable Cox. Danes fares less well as Yvaine, but Pfeiffer and De Niro more than compensate for the weaker portrayal. Pfeiffer’s Lamia, especially, is brought vividly to life—a second strong role for the actress this summer (she’s also the villain in Hairspray) after a long time away from the big screen.

Stardust is, in the end, a lot of fun, if inconsequential. Its appeal is limited by some frightening moments and darker characters, but it concludes on a note of hope and love—a storybook ending to an enchanting summer’s tale.

Questions or comments about this review? Contact Christian Hamaker at crosswalkchristian@earthlink.net.

AUDIENCE:  Teens and up

CAUTIONS:

• Language/Profanity: Lord’s name taken in vain; a few profanities.
• Drugs/Alcohol: Drinking of champagne.
• Sex/Nudity: Some kissing; a woman asks a man, “See anything you like?”; a man and woman close a door before having sex, which is implied but not shown; a woman disrobes, but nothing is shown; a witch turns a man into a woman, giving him breasts; a ship captain dresses in women’s clothing and is secretly homosexual.
• Violence: Man is shoved out of a window; ghosts of dead men reveal their grisly causes of death; witches sacrifice animals; a guard hits a man with a staff; plans to cut out a woman’s heart and eat it; captain of a flying ship throws someone overboard; a woman’s headless body continues moving; a person is impaled; a witch employs a voodoo-doll technique to incapacitate and attack a man; exploding glass.
• Witchcraft/Wizardry: Witches practice divination, cast spells, and unleash their powers against anyone who stands in their way; men cast runes to determine a course of action; discussion of how to gain immortality through certain rituals; discussion of black magic.