Stardust

If you read Acid-Free Paper you may be aware that Toiler and I both enjoyed Neil Gaiman's novel, Stardust. You may also know that the novel was made into a movie, and it came out in theaters this past weekend.

Well, I went to see it, and I was not disappointed at all, which is unusual indeed for me. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a great movie, but then it wasn't a great novel, either, just a fun adventure.

There were a couple of tough points in the movie, though: it is *very* rough getting started. So, if you go see it, don't get frustrated and walk out in the first 15 minutes or so, it gets better. I have no idea why they even had the scene at the Royal Observatory, it has no bearing on the rest of the movie at all.

The movie also departs significantly from the events in the book, but I think it made for a better movie. A lot of novel elements are difficult indeed to convey in a movie (they didn't convey just how bizarrely different the world beyond Wall was, for instance, making some elements of the adventure seem a little prosaic). The ending of the book, particularly, would have seemed confusing and anti-climactic in a movie, so I'm glad they exchanged it for a slightly more conventional happy ending.

So, it was an enjoyable fantasy romp and I recommend it, provided you're into that sort of thing.