Usually when I go to see a movie I have some sort of idea of what it is about. That was not the case with Stardust. I had seen a trailer, I think. I recall seeing some clips with Claire Danes and Robert DeNiro in them. I know I saw at least one television commercial. For some reason, I cannot recall any of the specific content. I went into the theater knowing that it was a fantasy based on a story by Neil Gaiman, but that was about it.

When I left the theater, I was very glad to have had so little prior knowledge. Stardust is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy realm. It's not nearly as serious as the Lord of the Rings films, nor as serially driven as the Harry Potter series. Stardust presents a world full of magical whimsy, high adventure, and romance.

The plot of Stardust is made up of a group of other smaller, but no less important, tales. The central tale concerns a young shopboy named Tristan (Charlie Cox). He is in love with a young woman named Victoria (Sienna Miller). The problem is that she is rather self-absorbed and in a relationship with another suitor, a snobbish character named Humphrey (Henry Cavill). One night Tristan makes a last ditch effort to win her affections. While sitting under the stars, Tristan and Victoria see a star fall from the sky. He vows to find the celestial debris and bring it to her as a sign of his love, and his adventure begins.

Actually, I am jumping a little too far ahead. Tristan lives in a town that is completely surrounded by a stone wall. The town's name? Wall. The wall is actually a barrier that separates the real world of England (where Wall is located) from the magical land of Stormhold. However, there happens to be a broken down section of the wall, where access to the magical land can be made. The star, which Tristan seeks, is on the other side of the wall. That being the case, Tristan must outwit the breach's guard in order to begin his quest.

Meanwhile, in the land of Stormhold, others begin their quest for the star. The King of Stormhold, played by Peter O'Toole, has seven sons, three of whom are still alive. In order to win the crown, the three sons must set out to seek a mystical gem which is in the star's possession. Then there is Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her two sisters who also want the star. They wish to extend their lives by cutting out the star's heart and eating it. Sounds tasty, doesn't it?