Don’t kill me but I must admit: I’m not a Neil Gaiman fan. It’s not that I don’t like him, it’s just that I haven’t found time to read his work (that, and the coloring on the first Sandman trade paperbacks scare me away). Anyway, most geeks swear by him. If Joss Whedon is their god, Gaiman is their Jesus. And I’m not saying that Gaiman’s remains were just found in a cave by the guy who made Titanic. Okay, my analogy really isn’t working. Either way, my only encounter with Gaiman’s work was through the Mirrormask film, which I’ve been told isn’t a great representation of what he’s capable of.
So I’ve been anticipating Layercake director Mathew Vaughn’s big screen adaption of Stardust for some time now. I thought, maybe this will suck me into the world of Gaiman (hey, I’m kinda feeling left out at this point). A new movie trailer has appeared on KinoExpress, and it’s scares me. The special effects don’t seem to be finished, and the ending montage is set to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme (which feels just a little odd). But aside from the tech stuff, the most of it comes off as laughable. Am I missing something?
The plot synopsis sounds much better than the footage: Stardust is about a young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) tries to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the beautiful but cold object of his desire, by going on a quest to retrieve a fallen star. His journey takes him to a mysterious and forbidden land beyond the walls of his village. On his odyssey, Tristan finds the star, which has transformed into a striking girl named Yvaine (Claire Danes). However, Tristan is not the only one seeking the star. A king’s (Peter O’Toole) four living sons – not to mention the ghosts of their three dead brothers – all need the star as they vie for the throne. Tristan must also overcome the evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), who needs the star to make her young again. As Tristan battles to survive these threats, encountering a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro) and a shady trader named Ferdy the Fence (Ricky Gervais) along the way, his quest changes. He must now win the heart of the star for himself as he discovers the meaning of true love.
Stardust hits theaters on August 10th 2007.
[via: JoBlo]
March 16th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Just checked this out. Thanks for passing it along.
While you’re right about the effects, there’s still time to fix them. Remember when the Hulk trailer premiered during the ‘04 SuperBowl? The Hulk looked awful, but by the time summer rolled around, he was much improved (inconsistently rendered at times, but better than when we first saw him).
Question: what’s the budget on Stardust? Are we expecting too much these days from epic fantasy films not made or financed by Hollywood? Not every director has $100 million dollars to play with, so maybe we should cut Stardust some slack.
As for Gaiman being Jesus, sorry, no. Whedon’s the whole trinity by himself (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Nope, Gaiman can be Peter or Paul (or, if you’re in a gnostic mood, Thomas; or, if you’re in a proto-feminist mood, Mary Magdalene), but definitely not Jesus.
March 16th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
I read somewhere the budget was near $100 million. If so…
March 16th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Follow-up: Wikipedia says $100 million, imdb says estimated $65 million
March 16th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
I’d have to go with the lower number, otherwise someone, somewhere is lining their pockets, because those effects didn’t look like they cost anywhere near that much. And for $100 million, shouldn’t we be seeing CGI armies clashing on battlefields while the obligatory (simulated) helicopter shot zooms over them? Seems like it, but Stardust looks a smaller film (I was thinking Princess Bride-sized in scope).
But hey, Claire Danes is in it and that’s a damn good sign, as I hope you’d agree. If you don’t, I don’t think we can be online pals anymore. Seriously.
March 16th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
I couldn’t get over the music…vaguely familiar, yes? That kinda ruined the trailer for me.
But, without that, I would have to say that I WILL be seeing this movie. It has, in the trailer, a Princess Bride feel. And how could you possibly go wrong with the Princess Bride?
March 17th, 2007 at 7:44 am
THIS IS NOT THE TRAILER FOR STARDUST PEOPLE.
it’s leaked footage with unfinished CGI. the official, real trailer should be out in a couple of weeks. and yes, that is the score from Pirates of the Carribean, because Stardust has not been scored yet.
March 17th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Well, if it’s leaked footage, someone cut it into a faux trailer then. And yep, the music is from PotC, but Pete Sciretta mentioned that up top when he initially posted this article.
April 10th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I don’t care about the budget, or the score. I’m a Gaiman fan. HE’S a higher power than Whedon - one of the Endless - so Whedon can stay in “God’s” position. What I’m concerned about is what Hollywood will do to the story - where they’ll omit and what they’ll glitz and “polish.” The trailer DOES look good, though … it’s enough to make me hope that all is not lost, though I can see that some is.
I like Walter Ponce’s comparison to the Princess Bride, though, even if it’s not really accurate. The story is set mostly in Faerie, though it touches early England as well.
Oh, and it’s not Tristan, it’s Tristran.
April 11th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
jesse, they changed the name to Tristan for the movie. they also changed the ending and alot of other stuff as well.
December 20th, 2007 at 4:26 am
ripped of a japanese anime movie