Matthew Vaughn's Best Movie Is Like None Of His Others

When I think about Matthew Vaughn's directing career, the image that primarily comes to mind is that of a provocateur, a filmmaker who enjoys prodding his audience a little while bucking familiar conventions. He famously did that with "Kick-Ass" in 2010, doubled down on provocation with the "Kingsman" movies, and is poised to do it again with his latest spy film, "Argylle," which hits theaters today. He seems to prefer entering through the side door rather than taking a head-on approach, opting for more unorthodox methods of storytelling wherever possible.

But that wasn't always the case. 2007's "Stardust," Vaughn's second directorial feature, does not have the cultural reputation as some of his other films, but upon rewatch, it was surprising to see Vaughn operating in a more straightforward zone — one that doesn't seem as desperate to push the envelope and is confident enough in the nuts and bolts of the story (he co-wrote the script with Jane Goldman, based on a book by Neil Gaiman) to let the classical nature of the film shine through. 

With the "Kingsman" movies, Vaughn is heightening the tropes of a James Bond film and taking them to ridiculous lengths. The characters almost seem aware that they're in a movie; while the actual Bond films occasionally flirted with that level of self-awareness, you can sense the irony in Taron Egerton's smirks. In "Stardust," though, Vaughn delivers a fantasy adventure that feels like a spiritual successor to "The Princess Bride," something with charm and creativity and wide-eyed wonder. It's wholly devoid of the irony that infuses so many of his other projects. In other words, it's the least "Matthew Vaughn" of all of Matthew Vaughn's movies.