HD DVD Review: Stardust

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Having not seen this film in the theaters and frankly knowing very little about this film, I had no idea what to expect when I popped this film into my HD-DVD player and gave it a spin. Needless to say, I liked what I saw. Stardust boasts quite a line-up of stars including Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Rupert Everett, Sienna MIller, Peter O’Toole and Charlie Cox. Stardust follows a character, Tristen, who sets out to recover a fallen star (meteor) in hopes of winning the heart of a local beauty. To find the fallen star, he crosses through The Wall, which separates England from an enchanted land of witches and strange happenings. Tristen’s journey takes an unexpected turn when he discovers that the fallen star is actually a beautiful woman who he must protect from an evil witch who must capture her and eat her heart in an effort to remain youthful. Along the way, Tristen receives the help of a rouge pirate with a secret, played by Robert De Niro.

This is very original and beautiful looking film and is filled with humor, romance and magic as well as wonderful performances by Robert De Niro as the “swashbuckling” pirate and Michelle Pfeiffer and the diabolical evil old witch intent on keeping her and her two evil sisters forever young. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this is a very good looking transfer. The film boasts excellent color rendition and deep blacks for a totally three dimensional looking image. Daylight scenes look very sharp although the night scenes suffer from a degree of softness which knocks the grade down a bit. Flesh tones are excellent as well and very natural looking. Michelle Pfeiffer, when she is not made up to be the ugly old witch, looks amazing in high def. This encode is a real treat for the eyes and will surely please fans of the film.

THE AUDIO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

I am sure that fans of the film will be upset to learn that the film boasts “only” a Dolby Digital Plus track. I can hear the complaints now about the lack of a Dolby True HD track bemoaning the lack of space on HD-DVD. We heard the same complaints with Transformers and Face-Off. However, I found this audio track to be very good with deep bass and an open and smooth sound. The musical score here sounds wonderful and is the highlight of the audio track. The music score is very dynamic and rich sounding and really soars. Dialogue is well recorded and very clear and well placed in the mix. There is very little to complain about with this mix, despite the fact that it is “only” Dolby Digital Plus.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a wonderful film with excellent performances by Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer although may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I went into it with an open mind and loved it. Maybe you will as well. Recommended.

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