Stardust (movie)

Bibliography:di Bonaventura, L. (Producer) & Vaughnn, M. (Director). (10 August 2007) Stardust [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount.

Genre:movie--fantasy

Reading Level/Interest Age:12+yrs

Reader's Annotation:Tristan's quest for love takes him to another world where he must battle for freedom.

Author:Based on a novel by Neil Gaiman.

Plot Summary:Tristan is a love-sick young man, infatuated with the local beauty, Victoria. She tells him that Tristan is not good enough for her. Tristan promises to retrieve a recently-fallen star, if she agrees to marry him. He sets off on his quest and discovers a stone wall outside his village (also named Wall). When he crosses over the border, he finds himself in a very different place, a magical kingdom called Stormhold. Meanwhile, the King of Stormhold is near death without yet naming an heir. His remaining sons battle it out amongst themselves for the title. The King said that whichever son finds the ruby he throws out his window will be made King. His final act is to hurl the ruby into the sky and dislodges the star, Yvaine, who falls to Earth. Yvaine is the same shooting star that Tristan promised to retrieve for Victoria. The plot thickens: three witches also saw the star fall and want to capture it because if they eat her heart, they will be immortal. Tristan finds Yvaine and tries to bring her back to Wall. The princess of Stormhold are on their trail, and the witches--led by Lamia--plot to capture Yvaine for their own evil purposes. Bravery, magic, and adventure abound as the characters meet up on the outskirts of Wall.

Critical Evaluation:This is a fun and funny movie with several amusing characters, not the least of which is Captain Shakespeare, played by Robert de Niro. As the plots become more and more intwined, we begin to wonder if Yvaine will ever be freed from danger. Tristan shows his worth as a hero when he falls in love with Yvaine and rescues her from death at the hands of Lamia.

Curriculum Ties:Could be seen following the reading of the book, for comparison.

Book Talk Ideas:

Challenge Issues:magical violence, language, homosexual references, sex, magic

Why was this text included in this project?Many teenagers read Neil Gaiman and it's likely they might see movies based on his work.