Stardust

Stardust (directed by Matthew Vaughn)

Stardust is part fantasy, part romance, part adventure and all creative fun. If Stardust is to be seen for one reason alone, it would be for Robert De Niro's hilarious performance as Captain Shakespeare, a pirate with a bit of a soft side (that's all I'm gonna say about it).

Tristan (Charlie Cox) is trying to woo Victoria (Sienna Miller), and does so by promising to bring back a falling star. This star, played in human form by Yvaine (Claire Danes), is the object of obsession for a coven of witches, led by a decaying Michelle Pfeiffer. At the ripe old age of 400, Pfeiffer's character is intent on ripping out Danes' heart in order to gain eternal youth.

Director Matthew Vaughn, whose only previous directing credit was the well done 2004 British gangster film Layer Cake, has plenty of fun with the material, based on a story by Neil Gaiman, but it's the bold and inventive performances that carry the film through to the end.