Stardust

I'm not sure how to describe Stardust, on one hand it has some fantasy elements, but I don't think it's for the younger audience like Narnias or Harry Potter are. But whatever, it didn't bore me as Harry Potter movies adaptation were - it has part fantasy, part comedy, part drama. It suitable for ones who wishes for something lighthearted.

Sinopsis:

There's one small village in England that border a magical world and one evening a young Durnstan Thorn sneak past the guard of the hole in the wall to see the other side and met a witch's slave girl. This-around-5-feet-high-stone wall is what separate the two worlds! Anyone could just climb over the wall, not just slip through the hole. Anyway, I'm not sure if they fall instantly in love or what, but they spent the night together and 9 months later Durnstan was visited by the wall's guard, somebody had left a gift for him by the wall - a baby boy in a basket named Tristan.

18 years later, we met the young Tristan (Charlie Cox) who was enamored to the town's beauty Victoria (Sienna Miller); who in turn prefers Humphrey, who seems to be wealthy and dashing.
One night, Tristan convinces Victoria to come out to a night picnic to look at the stars. He found out that Victoria plans to accept Humphrey's proposal on her birthday; in 2 weeks time. He proclaimed some romantic gestures to prove his love is greater than Humphrey when a falling star come into view. He said he will present that star to her on her birthday if she promise to marry him.

The star was actually struck down by the necklace that the current king of the magical kingdom called Stormhold has enchanted on his deathbed. He declares that "he of royal blood" (hmmph! is 'royal' blood any different from non-royal blood?) who first find the ruby pendant and turns it back to its original red colour will become the next ruler of Stormhold. Then just as his surviving sons tries to grab the necklace, it shoots up towards the sky, struck a star, and the necklace and the star comes stumbling back to earth. Could NASA invent a rocket as fast as that, to the far horizon and back all in one night? ^_^

The king has 7 sons - Primus, Secundus, Tertius, Quartus, Quintus, Sextus and Septimus (yeah, very imaginative names and easy to remember their order) and 1 daughter, Una (the daughter was missing for years, and no one make an effort to search for her?!). So since Secundus, Tertius, Sextus and of the Q was already dead by their own sibling's hand, only left for the remaining sons to search for the ruby. Another, story tangent was 3 ugly old witches (led by Michelle Pfeifer) who wants to become young and beautiful again by the sacrificing) the fallen star.

Back to Tristan, he fails to slip past the wall's guard as his father's did, hehe "fooled me once -shame on you, fooled me twice- shamed on me!". So he goes back home dejectedly to his father who then gives him a note and a Babylon candle his mother left to him when he was a baby. (But really! even if he does not love her, he did not even try to see the mother of his child even once???). Anyway, Tristan lights the Babylon candle to go to her, but accidentally thinks about the star, and is magically transported to the star's impact area in the kingdom of Stormhold. The star is not what he expected: The star is actually a beautiful, immortal and spirited young woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes). Haha, he thought at first she was his mother and called her 'mother' when he was corrected by the disgruntled star.

Determined to win Victoria's heart, Tristan chained himself to Yvaine. He promised Yvaine he will use the last of the magic candle to send her back to the sky after he has taken her to Victoria.As we know Tristan is not the only one seeking Yvaine, there are the 3 witches and the sons of the King - for Yvaine now wore the necklace. So their adventure began...

As predicted they fall in love with each other. Yvaine confess first that she fall in love with him, when Tristan was turn into a mouse by a witch- she thought he wont understand her. She said she realise that love is what makes it bearable to look down at our miserable world. Love is unconditional, to love somebody is to want nothing in return, but to be loved in return. Hmphh...that concept is 'romantic' in movies and novels, but in the real world is just plain stupid. I think every action, every decision we made was because we want something in return. We are selfish being. So she wants nothing but to be love in return, what if she didn't get that love in return? what happen to her love? does it turn to hate?

Tristan was still woozy after being turned back to human form again, he called Yvaine -Victoria. She said she prefer "Mother" ^_^

Three questions after I watched this movie:

1. How does Una know, Yvaine is the fallen star and cannot pass over the wall?

2. How does Una recognize Tristan as the son she pack in a basket and send to the father?

3. and lastly, are they trying to depict Captain Shakespear as gay when he winked at Humphrey at the end of the movie?

I like Claire Danes after watching R&J, I think she has fresh and innocent look (like below pics) but in this movie she looks dull and old :(