A Good Adaptation

Speaking of Neil Gaiman, as I was yesterday, reminds me to pass on that I just saw the movie adaptation of his book, Stardust. The book had quite a following somewhere on the web (maybe Readerville), so I read it. (Because I maintain a blog, I know I read it nearly four years ago, back when I wasn't posting anywhere near as often as I am now.) I wasn't blown away, but I thought there was "lots of unique stuff that made me want to keep reading."

The movie is very well done. It's beautiful, clever, and the acting is just fine. There are shifts among the differing story lines, but they weren't abrupt or gimmicky. I particularly liked the dead princes who are observing the carryings on of their remaining mortal brothers. I should tell you that I had to explain some things to the guy I was watching it with, but it wasn't the first time I've had to explain things to him.

I thought the movie was very faithful to what I remember of the book, though I don't recall if Captain Shakespeare was as over-the-top as he is on film.

My only objection is the same one I had regarding the book. Stardust is "one of those mythic journey stories about a guy finding his birth right and his beautiful maiden." You may feel you've seen that storyline before. But at least in this movie, you'll see a very well-done version.