DVD Review: "Stardust"

Claire Danes and Charlie Cox in Stardust

To a certain generation, there was no better DVD to pop into the player when you were inviting your best girl over for a pizza and a flick than "The Princess Bride." Now here comes "Stardust" a tongue-in-cheek fairytale adventure to provide the ideal replacement.

Don't be put off by the fact that "Stardust" is directed by Matthew Vaughn, whose only previous directorial effort was the much different "Layer Cake." Well, there are some similarities. "Stardust" has its share of violence, but unlike "Layer Cake," the violence here is part of the fantasy.

The premise of of "Stardust" is simply this. England is divided by a wall. Not a mighty fortress wall, mind you, but one of those typical three-feet high stone jobs you see all over the English countryside. On one side of the wall is ... well, regular England. On the other is this enchanted land called Stormhold. The king of Stormhold (Peter O'Toole) is dying and is trying to decide which among his cutthroat sons should assume his crown. He takes a jewel, flings it into the air and says whichever son retrieves the gem will become king.

As the jewel flies through the air, it turns into a shooting star that is witnessed on the English side of the wall by the movie's hero Tristan (Charlie Cox) and the woman he is pursuing, Victoria (Sienna Miller). When they see the star crash to earth on the other side of the wall, Tristan vows to retrieve it and bring it back to Victoria as a demonstration of his love for her. Tristan makes it to the place where the star has landed only to learn it has assumed human form, Yvaine (Claire Danes).

Meanwhile, three witches, led by Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer who steals this movie much in the same way she stole "Hairspray"), want the star so they can cut the heart out of its human form and use it to restore their youth and beauty.

So there you have it. Tristan needs to bring Yvaine back across the wall to Victoria. The sons of the king, led by Septimus (Mark Strong), who dispatches his siblings rather quickly and mercilessly, want the star so they can rule the kingdom. And the witches want to get to Yvaine to cut out her heart.

Vaughn does a masterful job cutting to and from all these different elements and building excitement in the process. It all leads up to a momentous showdown in the witches castle, highlighted by a hilarious bit in which Tristan engages in a sword fight with a dead Septimus whose body is being controlled by Lamia. All this is being witnessed by the ghosts of Septimus' siblings who serve as a macabre Greek chorus. Trust me, the bit works to perfection.

And before I forget: There's another segment in which Tristan and Yvaine hitch a ride aboard a floating pirate ship commanded by Captain Shakespeare. Robert DeNiro plays Captain Shakespeare as though he was Jack Sparrow taken to his most logical and hilarious limit.

So order the pizza, turn the lights down low, and pop "Stardust" into the DVD player. I would, however, think twice before lighting that candle.

Grade: B