Stardust

There are some graphic novels and comic books that translate well to the big screen, and there are some that fail miserably. Stardust doesn't really do either. If you're in the mood for whimsical adventure that gets overly cheesy while following witches, pirates and magical objects, this may be your movie. Sure, that all sounds great, but it doesn't translate quite as well. The high moments, like Robert De Niro's happy pirate, or Sienna Miller's too-briefly-shown frumpiness, are often lost in the long, drawn-out cross-country adventure treks and epic battle scenes. They reminded me of Lancelot running repeatedly up and over the hill in Monty Python's Holy Grail, except Stardust was taking itself seriously. Danes tries too hard to capture the otherworldly essence of a star and she's outshone by the rest of the cast.

IMDB: Stardust

• OVERALL: 84
  
• VISUAL: 88
  
• STORY: 81
  
• ACTING: 83
  
• BETTER THAN: The Ice Pirates
  
• NOT AS GOOD AS: The Neverending Story
  
• WAS MISSING: Mr. Brady telling a tale about tall tales you should tell.
  
• SEE IT FOR: The "Gandalf" narration and Ricky Gervais describing his art of the deal.