I watched Stardust for two reasons: first, i’ve seen ads of it at the swimming pool when we were in Dunaújváros on the EFOTT festival; second, it was written by Neil Gaiman. Sure this doesn’t guarantee that the movie would be good–but it was.

It’s definitely a fairy tale, but here don’t think of the kind of Nevewhere, which was labelled a “post-modern punk fairytale” by some newspapers–Stardust is a lot more of a traditional fairy tale, just with a few twists that make it enjoyable for anyone above the age of “oh Snow-white is such a great story!”, and a great movie (i haven’t yet read the book, but i plan to). It seems Gaiman has some addiction to worlds present but invisible or unreachable, just think of the mirror world in the MirrorMask or the London Below in Neverwhere.

This time it’s the empire of Stormhold, a mystical place bearing most characteristics of fairytale worlds: the king (who has a really… khm… unique personality, so do his sons) lays dying, his sons fighting for the throne (as they die their ghosts all show up, which often makes you burst out laughing), his only daughter kidnapped by an evil (though not very strong) witch. And still Stormhold is in our world: a low wall separates it from the village of Wall, in England.

By the way, the story takes place about a hundred and fifty years ago, when a young man crosses the wall by tricking the guard and there… Well, nine months later a little surprise is delivered to him by the guard of the wall, who will grow up to be the main hero of the movie, being a poor loser shopkeeper boy fallen in a hopeless love with the beauty of the village (he even promises her to bring her a falling star!), later becoming a young man worthy of being called hero (in the fairytale sense of the world). On his journey he encounters many interesting (and even more dangerous) people, and learn a huge lesson in regards of life, love and liver (at least we do, thanks to the witches). I don’t usually write such things, but my favourite scene is definitely the “What are you doing here?” “I could be asking you the same.” dialogue near the end. Great movie.