by Megan Bailey, Staff Writer

In 2007, I unexpectedly saw one of my favorite movies of all time on a whim. I had no idea what Stardust was about before I saw it, but my mom and I wanted to do a double feature, and it fit right in with our previously scheduled Hairspray viewing. I then went on to make just about every single one of my friends watch it, to the point where they regularly teased me for how much I loved it.

For context, Stardust is adapted from the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name. The story was originally published in 1997 as a four-part comic series with illustrator Charles Vess, then later adapted into a traditional novel without the illustrations in 1999. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, Stardust is part coming-of-age quest, part fantastical sibling rivalry for the throne, part evil-witch chase, culminating in a delightfully weird little flick. Seeing as it debuted 15 years ago, I think this film deserves to finally get its due. 

With an incredibly stacked cast of heavy hitters—Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Peter O’Toole—and then-up-and-comers—Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Henry Cavill (in a hilariously small and nearly unrecognizable role)—this movie is such a fun ride. It deviates from the plot of the book, both simplifying the resolution and further developing some of the side characters, including Captain Shakespeare. What I love so much about this movie is that everyone’s committed to the bit. It’s all done with heart and humor, and everyone fully bought into the silliness. 

In the town of Wall, Tristan (Charlie Cox) is a young man who considers himself a boy who just works in a shop (not a shopboy, very important distinction), until he’s fired for unfairly favoring the object of his affections, Victoria. But she’s more interested in Humphrey (Henry Cavill), a very rich guy. In an attempt to charm Victoria after seeing a falling star together, Tristan promises to go find the star and bring it back to her, in exchange for her hand in marriage. 

Afterward, Tristan’s father reveals the story of how he met Tristan’s mother (a trapped princess) and sends him off in search of his her using a magical candle that takes the user anywhere they want to go if they think of that destination when they light it. But Tristan suddenly thinks of the star he promised to retrieve the star, and he ends up flying right into Yvaine (Claire Danes)–the physical embodiment of the star–instead. This brings us to Stormhold, the magical town on the other side of the wall. There, the king is dying, and because he has several children (including an unnamed missing daughter, wink) still alive to fight over the throne, he throws the king’s jewel out through the window, where it flies off, hitting the star that Tristan and Victoria saw, and he insists that the true heir will be the son who finds it first. We also see Lamia and her two sisters, a trio of witches who are immortal, but with the help of eating the heart of a star every couple centuries to regain their youth.

Tristan attempts to bring Yvaine back to Wall, but the two are quickly embroiled in the battle for the throne and attempting to evade Lamia. This begins a delightful turn of events, including riding a unicorn, nearly getting poisoned, meeting Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), getting makeovers from the fearsome pirate, dancing, lovingly looking into each other’s eyes, getting turned into a mouse, and a dramatic love confession. The film culminates in Tristan realizing that he’s the true heir of Stormhold, and he and Yvaine rule for many years. 

While the grim-dark, over-explained fantasy era that took hold with Game of Thrones didn’t really begin until 2011, Stardust, full of whimsy and heart, was a joy in 2007 and has only gotten better with time in comparison. Instead of worrying about making the world gritty and believable, it’s more important that Stormhold is fun. The monarchy doesn’t make any sense, but that doesn’t bother me at all because it’s so stylish. I mean, deciding succession by sending the living princes on a quest to discover the stone? That’s legendary. The nobles have literal blue blood, Lamia transforms a goat into a man, Captain Shakespeare harvests lightning on a flying ship, Yvaine is the Northern star; just go with it! And all this heart and silliness serve to give us a really lovely main couple and a happily ever after to boot.

Another fun element in Stardust is the physical comedy. Charlie Cox falling down the stairs, running face-first into a carriage, and getting his ass beat by a wizened guard? Incredible work. And then there’s Captain Shakespeare’s dance scene, which is so joyous and silly. These moments all brighten the film without giving it the “that just happened” vibe that some modern action/adventure films usually have.

The costuming in this movie is also delightful. All of the potential successors are named by their number in line for the throne: Una, Primus, and so on and so forth right down to Septimus. The princes all have their number shown in their costumes, most noticeably Septimus’s vest with “VII” sewn into it and Tertius’s coat with “III” embroidery. And I can’t talk about this movie without mentioning the gorgeous blue dress that Yvaine wears in the second half. All thanks to Captain Shakespeare’s makeover and extensive closet, of course. Likewise, the longer wig on Charlie Cox brings his look together as well, taking him from a bit dweeby to full-on fantasy heartthrob.

And of course, we have to talk about the iconic Captain Shakespeare. Without definitive labels, Robert De Niro is most certainly playing a queer man who dabbles in wearing dresses. He talks about feeling held back by his father’s expectations but being able to build his own reputation as a fearsome pirate and retaining his love of literature (“shake spear” versus William Shakespeare). He treats Yvaine and Tristan kindly, helping to disguise and train them in preparation for their journey. Then, of course, there’s the scene of him dancing to “The Can-can” and then getting attacked by Septimus. When his crew sees him in the dress, they reveal that they’ve known about him all along and follow him anyway.

Though this is a take on the closeted gay male character, a smart, fearsome, and kind captain played by Robert De Niro isn’t exactly an insult. And I think the movie’s refusal to label him only makes him more open to interpretation. Not to mention, this was all before Black Sails and Our Flag Means Death had their takes on queer pirate captains! (Side note: I would love to see Captains Flint, Blackbeard [Taika’s version], and Shakespeare all in one place. Imagine!)

While I can point out the weaknesses in it, the shallow woman spurning the main character, the boy turned goat turned woman who ogles his own boobs, Claire Danes’s at times very noticeable eyebrow acting, and so on, there’s just so much to love in this flick. I’ve spent many years wishing (maybe even on a star, sorry!) for a tell-all about the filming process of this movie, and I still hold out hope for one someday. But I’ll happily take my chance to sing Stardust’s praises here. It’s one of those movies to latch onto, not so much a guilty pleasure, but just a pleasure to watch. 

The cast has gone on to do very impressive things, especially Claire Danes and Charlie Cox, who made names for themselves in Homeland and Daredevil, respectively, but I’ll always have a special place in my heart for their work in Stardust. It’s such a special, silly little movie, and I’ll be rewatching it for years to come.