Stardust

I had a really good time watching this film. It might be this generation's "The Princess Bride", though I would put "Stardust" a tad below TPB if I were ranking them.

The fantasy/fairie tale of a film starts off whimsically enough, but as it builds and introduces characters, the film gains quite a bit of momentum, helped by a nice screenplay with nary a dead spot in the film (impressive for a 128-minutes film these days), and finishes up with a nice conclusion. I liked how no matter how large or small the role was, each actor (be they principal or ancilliary) gave just enough to elicit a laugh or curiousity from the viewer. The large cast is rather good, without much of a weak spot in the lineup.

And then when I realized that it was based off the story by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charless Vess, I understood why the source material could yield such a delightful cinematic fairie tale. Matthew Vaughn had the right directorial tone for the film, and it paid off time and time again.

I give it 3.75 stars, or a grade of A-.