On Stardust
Aug. 12th, 2007 05:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseWent and saw Stardust with Monica this afternoon. I think "charming" is the best word to describe it - it's got some flaws, and the plot's definitely a bit cluttered and uneven, but you can't fault its boundless energy or its heart. One reviewer called it "a compatibility litmus test for starry-eyed romantics", which I think is an excellent description.
I should probably point out (in case anyone's unaware) that I'm a big Gaiman fan and that I've read the book a number of times, so obviously I can't provide the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the material. But they made a lot of changes for the movie; it's much more action-oriented than the book, which was more of a sweet-natured (if dark) fairy tale. The first act is a bit empty - I kind of wished they'd focused more on the relationship between Tristan and his father, which was actually more interesting than it was in the book - and, once it does get going, things get pretty crazy (there's a lot more flash-and-bang than in the book). But I didn't find it too hard to keep things straight, and the casting was excellent. Robert De Niro stole the funniest scenes, and I particularly liked Kate Magowan as Tristan's mother - she wasn't quite as otherworldly as I'd imagined her from the book, but she managed in a very limited role to exude a real warmth and sweetness.
On the whole, I enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again when Brian gets back from the mine. Highly recommended for: Gaiman fans, fantasy nuts, starry-eyed romantics, and people who just want some escapism.
I should probably point out (in case anyone's unaware) that I'm a big Gaiman fan and that I've read the book a number of times, so obviously I can't provide the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the material. But they made a lot of changes for the movie; it's much more action-oriented than the book, which was more of a sweet-natured (if dark) fairy tale. The first act is a bit empty - I kind of wished they'd focused more on the relationship between Tristan and his father, which was actually more interesting than it was in the book - and, once it does get going, things get pretty crazy (there's a lot more flash-and-bang than in the book). But I didn't find it too hard to keep things straight, and the casting was excellent. Robert De Niro stole the funniest scenes, and I particularly liked Kate Magowan as Tristan's mother - she wasn't quite as otherworldly as I'd imagined her from the book, but she managed in a very limited role to exude a real warmth and sweetness.
On the whole, I enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again when Brian gets back from the mine. Highly recommended for: Gaiman fans, fantasy nuts, starry-eyed romantics, and people who just want some escapism.
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Date: 2007-08-13 06:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 06:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-13 06:37 am (UTC)You on IM at the moment?
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Date: 2007-08-13 04:54 pm (UTC)DeNiro was hilarious... had to bite my tongue to refrain from "Butt Pirate" jokes during the movie.
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Date: 2007-08-13 05:00 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, there aren't any swishbucklers (to quote Ebert, among others) in the book, but it's a very sweet story nonetheless. Do you have the illustrated version? If not, I highly recommend getting a copy - the prose story is quite nice, but the illustrations really add a lot to it. (Which makes sense, since it was originally published as a four-part graphic novel...)
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Date: 2007-08-15 04:29 pm (UTC)Working on getting some more Gaiman, though, via eBay. ;)
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Date: 2007-08-15 04:32 pm (UTC)Yay Gaiman and yay eBay! Two of my favorite concepts, right there...=)