Film: Fairy tales have a very long tradition not only in literature, but also in cinema. At the same time, these films are usually intended to appeal primarily to a very young audience and attract them in droves to the movie theaters. But now and then, cinema fairy tales also see the light of the projectors, which with their humour and clever play with fairy tale clichés are aimed more at older viewers. "The Star Wanderer" is just such a film.
The story is told by Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox), a simple salesman who has little chance with a beautiful lady like Victoria (Sienna Miller). After all, Victoria is the most desirable girl in the whole village and can hardly save himself from the advances of wealthy suitors. But Tristan does not give up so quickly. When he and Victoria watch a star fall to earth, he promises her in his youthful and romantic madness that he will bring her that very star and lay it at her feet. But to do so, he must first breach the wall that has always protectively surrounded his village and enter a realm where wizards, evil witches, and murderous pirates wreak havoc.
But blinded by love, Tristan dedicates himself to the dangerous task and even manages to reach the spot where the star struck the earth. To his amazement, he finds that the star is a young woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes), who is more than enchanting to Tristan with her truly cosmic charisma. But it is not only the lovesick youth who has it in for the star girl. The evil witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her two sisters, who can attain eternal youth through the star, and the cunning Septimus (Mark Strong), who is after the throne of the dying king (Peter O`Toole), also want to blow out Yvaine`s starlight. But Tristan is determined to prevent that at all costs - after all, he made a promise to Victoria that he intends to keep at all costs.
As a producer for cult director Guy Ritchie and as director of the gangster smash "Layer Cake" starring new Bond Daniel Craig, Matthew Vaughn has made a name for himself, especially among lovers of contemporary British action cinema. Now the London-born director surprises with a wonderfully ironic fairy tale tale that delights in the tradition of Rob Reiner's cult film "The Princess Bride". From the very nicely staged prologue to the blackly humorous demise of the competing heirs to the throne to the wonderfully heartwarming ending, "The Star Wanderer" is filled with enchanting conceits, spot-on gags and plenty of romance. The fact that this mixture works extremely harmoniously is one of the particularly positive aspects of this cinema fairy tale.
With the actors, Vaughn has also shown a very good hand. The supporting characters in particular are superbly cast. Robert de Niro is simply wonderful as a pirate captain with a very special fondness. And Michelle Pfeiffer as the bitter witch and England's cult comedian Ricky Gervais also provide many amusing moments, which quickly make you forget some all too silly or not very successful gags. But the film is carried by the pleasantly unused Charlie Cox of the truly enchanting aura that Claire Danes transports to the screen as a fallen star. Her very natural charm should make even hardened viewers believe that she actually once had her shining place in the sky as a star.
Besides the good actors and the nice story, "The Star Wanderer" can also please with an imaginative set and nice visual effects. These are used in a well-dosed way, so that the viewer is never distracted from the actual story or the actors are played too much into the background. This also gives the movie a pleasantly old-fashioned flair, which sets it apart from the effects-overloaded blockbusters of recent cinematic past. The whole thing is rounded off by the catchy theme song "Rule the World" by Take That, which invites you to keep dreaming even during the credits.
For young children, the film's humour might be too quirky and incomprehensible at times, the story occasionally too dark and the running time decidedly too long. Slightly older and young at heart film fans, on the other hand, should not miss the opportunity to go on a journey together with the "star wanderer". Because it was not possible to languish so uninhibitedly for a long time. Despite some small lengths absolutely recommendable!
Picture: Even if the garish, alienated colors are intentional, they achieve an effect that can not really be called positive. Because somehow the picture seems almost constantly slightly washed out, it rarely gets really sharp. The contrasts also don't seem to be well balanced, which is especially noticeable in the darker scenes. However, since many of these negative aspects are only discovered upon closer inspection and the overall impression itself is quite positive, with a lot of good will, there is just about a: Good!
Sound: The effects, the music and the dialogues are mixed very well, spatially and dynamically, but come overall a bit powerless from the speakers. Especially with the bass could have been a little more in it. In principle, very good, but just unfortunately too weak and therefore only: Good!
Extras: Really much there is not. But at least the offered material is good. The just under 30 minute making of is slightly above the typical promotional making ofs in terms of standard, but is just too short for the wealth of information covered here. Still, absolutely worth watching. The five removed scenes are quite nice, but unfortunately completely unfinished and therefore don't have the same charm as the finished film. Also quite nice are the just under 5 minutes of botched scenes, although again they lack the very big highlights.
Conclusion: "The Star Wanderer" is a wonderful cinematic fairy tale that appeals in a very likeable way (also) to an adult audience. The DVD is technically in the good range, whereby here, as also with the bonus material, truly more could have been feasible. Nevertheless: an absolute purchase recommendation!
Original title: Stardust
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Number of Discs: 1
Languages: English, Turkish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles:German, English, Turkish
Image Format: 16:9 (2.40:1)
Extras: making of, blooper reel, removed scenes
FSK: ages 12+
Length: approx. 122 Min.
Regional Code: 2
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