Screenhead

For me, the most magical moment in Stardust is when one of three witches, all old crones, turns out to be Michelle Pfeiffer. Standing nude before a mirror, Pfeiffer winks to herself, her sisters and to the audience. Michelle Pfeiffer is now what the French would call a woman of a certain age. She is also as captivating as ever.

The real special effects of Stardust are its heart and humor. To think otherwise is to miss the point of the story. The plot involves a young man, Tristan, who finds true love on his quest to impress a young woman who scarcely cares for him. On his way he runs into Pfeiffer’s witch, an internecine band of princes (some in ghostly form), a sky sailing pirate in touch with his feminine side, and a fallen star in the form of Clare Danes.

A man is turned into a goat, and back into a man, and briefly into a woman. A princess is turned into a chained bird. Looking past the special effects, what Neil Gaiman’s story is really about is capturing one’s own sense of identity, rather than being defined by other people. This is stated near the beginning when it is observed that Tristan is not a shop boy, but a boy who happens to be working at a shop at the moment.

For a fantasy film, some of the humor is a bit sophisticated, more than what is found in films of this genre. Looking beyond the surface though, if in fact Gaiman is addressing a primarily youthful audience, it may be a disguised way of saying that everyone is strange and even wonderful, just as they are, and that even self-examination can bring out surprises.

Certainly Stardust is a major change of direction for director and co-screenwriter Matthew Vaughn. Previously best known for producing Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, as well as making his own directorial debut with the British gangster tale Layer Cake, this new film shares the idea of upending preconceptions about many of its characters. With computer generated imagery, a headless zombie can turn into dust right in front of our eyes. But an even better trick is to make a movie that can both dazzle the eye and engage our intelligence. That the cast includes such actors as Rupert Everett, Ricky Gervais, Robert De Niro and Peter O’Toole in the cast is an added bonus. Unlike too many summer films, Stardust offers a sprinkling of wit and heart.

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