Carole's Book to Movie Review: Stardust (2007)

Length: 2 hours & 7 mins
Released: 2007
Genre: Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, & Drama
Rating: PG-13
Where I Got It: Netflix

SUMMARY:
The sleepy English village of Wall is so named for the cobblestone wall that has, for eons, kept the villagers safely apart form the supernatural parallel universe that lies just on the other side. It is here that young Tristan Thorne makes a wild-eyed promise to the prettiest girl in the village, whose heart he hopes to win: that he will bring her back a fallen star. Now, in order to make good on his promise, Tristan will have to cross the forbidden wall, and enter a mysterious kingdom lit by unending magic and unfolding legends. In this fantastical realm known as Stormhold, Tristan discovers that the fallen star is not at all what he expected but a spirited young woman injured by her cosmic tumble. Now, she is in terrible danger--sought after by colossal powers including the King's scheming sons for whom only she can secure the throne; and a chillingly powerful witch desperate to use the star to achieve eternal youth and beauty. As Tristan sets out to protect the star and bring her back to his beloved on the other side of the wall, he encounters with a pirate captain and a shady trader, among other surprises. But if he can survive, Tristan will also uncover the secret key to his own identity and a fate beyond his wildest dreams.

TRAILER: 

REVIEW:

I was a good kid...I read the book first, even tho I was super tempted to watch the movie. I am a bad kid and I do like watching the movie first once in a while. 0.o

Anyways...

Before I discuss anything else...I must complain about what they did with Clair Danes eyebrows. WHERE ARE THEY!? DO STARS NOT HAVE EYEBROWS? WHAT? WHY? HOW? Dumb. Ugh. Throughout the whole movie, I was totally distracted by the lack of eyebrows. Along with Clair Danes eyebrows, her voice and acting really annoyed me. Normally, I think she's an okay actress, but in this? She left me wanting more (and not in the good way). Was she trying to act nonhuman? IDK...but meh.

Besides for the missing eyebrows, this was funny. Way funnier then the book. The whole humor of the ghost of the dead brothers following around the live brothers was hilarious. In the book, it didn't work as well as in the movie. Their faces and judging ways were hilarious. They didn't have to say anything to make me laugh. Just an eyeroll. Along with the brothers being funny, the witch sisters had me laughing too. haha. They cast the perfect actress for the eldest sister. This movie was just making me laugh the entire time! It did have its "awe" moments because there is a romance going on.

It was upsetting that they cut out a few of the characters, but I totally get why sometimes too many characters in a movie can get confusing. Plus, they wanted to give Tristan's dad some more spotlight and more of a hand in Tristan's adventure. 

I AM SO MAD THEY LEFT OUT THE LION VS THE UNICORN SCENE! UGGGGGGGH! THAT WAS MY FAVORITE FABLE REFERENCE!!!!! MEH!

However...they made it up to me in the ending. I like how they edited it a bit and added a little glimmer and more "awe" to it. :3 I can't say what, but I liked it a lot.

Book or movie? Ummm, I liked both, but honestly.........they were the same. There were some things I didn't like about the book and then some things I didn't like about the movie. I rate them about even. In the end, I stamp this with 3 stars as well. It would've been 4, but they cut out my favorite scene. >_____>

Favorite Character(s): Tristan (even tho he was a silly boy), the ghost brothers, the unicorn, and Tristan's mom

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Victoria (*sighs*) 

Re-watch?: Yeah. I want to make Boyfriend watch it 

Carole Reviews: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Author: Neil Gaiman
Title: Stardust 
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, & YA
Pages: ebook
First Published: 1998
Where I Got It: My shelf (Borrowed from library)

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

I've honestly never heard of this book until it was picked for the Book Club. I was a little weary about reading this, but it certainly was an adventure and I nice add to our book list for the book club. I can't wait to discuss it. 

Ooooooooooooooooo! Victoria you dumb, dumb, witch. Poor Tristran...instead of being honest saying she didn't "love" him like he did her, she sends him out on a simple little errand to go to the magic land and get the falling star and then MAYBE she'll kiss him and if he is lucky she might consider marriage. >________< Gah. 

So yes, the beginning was rough for me for that reason and that is was slow and there were a lot of character introductions. There are a lot of people who want that damn star! Things got better when Tristran did manage to find the star - which made the book much more interesting. It was a twist and I liked it. I can't say what happens when he finds the star, but it was good. 

I loved the including of fairytales and fables! It was a nice! Especially the lion vs the unicorn for the crown. That was my favorite little bit - the unicorn was my favorite!

The only thing I did not like at all in this book was the random parts with lots of violence and/or non YA words/scenes. I'm mostly referring to the death of a character (that I liked - of course) that was brutally murdered. Okay...I think what bugged me was that it was an animal. I felt that these scenes took away the "fantastical" feel of the book. It just stuck out like a red thumb and it wasn't needed.

Overall, this was a fun adventure. I honestly would have never picked up this book on my own, so I am grateful for the book club introducing this to me. There were a few scenes I didn't like because 1) it took away the "fantastical" feel of the book and 2) it bugged me. The beginning was slow, but it got a lot better. I would highly recommend this to those that like fantasy-type books. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 3 stars (it was going to be 3.5 - so a rounded 4 - but the animal murder took away a .5).  

Favorite Character(s): Tristran (even tho he was blinded by the love he had for Victoria), the star (sassy!), and Trsitran's mom
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Victoria and the witch (>_____>) 

Sam Reviews: "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman - January 2015 Book Choice

Sam's Notes Taken Along the Way:

I was automatically hesitant due to the theme and the setting of this book.  I've always been intrigued by Neil Gaiman's writing based on quotes, and I love his book Coraline, but I am simply not a fan of the "fantasy" genre as a general rule.  However, I did really end up loving this book!

I was quite proud of myself for catching on to the fact that the king's sons names were based on the order of their birth.  I thought that was a clever way to introduce characters without making it hard for the reader trying to understand.

I did start getting frustrated with around Chapter 3 when it seemed like every new character they introduced sounded like a victim, everyone looking for that one thing that would complete them.
-Jess made a good point, that this is realistic, that everyone is aiming to achieve something, and usually that will be opposing someone else's goal.

I really appreciated how the book read like young adult, but had very adult subplots.  There were scenes of very graphic violence and very graphic sex which was a nice respite from the (somewhat) simplistic plot.  It definitely added another layer to the book, at least for me.  Granted, I was not very fond of the graphic dismembering of animals, it made my stomach churn more than once.

I thought it was dumb how at a certain point Tristran left the Star alone with the Unicorn and expected her to be there when he got back.

I loved that the terrain of Fairie was created by a giant that laid down and died, creating Mount Head, Mount Shoulder, Mount Belly, Mount Knees, and Mount Feet.  I feel this was another way to easily explain to the reader how the setting looked without having to spend too much time explaining everything in precise detail.

I thought it was silly that the King's sons were expected to kill one another, and yet if they are murdered by someone outside of the family, they were required to avenge that murder.

I really hate riddles, and I hated how the riddle of "When two Mondays come together" was solved by two people with the last name of "Monday" getting married.  I'll admit it was clever, but I find riddles aggravating.

I thought the ending of the book was sad, but beautiful.

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Quotes Worth Mentioning:

"Too ignorant to be scared, too young to be awed."

"The voices of the dead, which sound like snow falling."
-I really loved how this was a recurring simile throughout the book.  I love that the 'sounds' change but the idea stays the same.  It was a nice way to tie the book together without being annoyingly repetitive.

When Tristran is describing Victoria to the Hairy Man:
"Usual complement of bits?  Eyes?  Nose?  Teeth?"
"Yes,"
"Well then you can skip that stuff."
-I loved how this pokes fun at people who always start off describing their significant others as "beautiful" or "handsome".  This reminds us that we are all beautiful, we are unique by our personalities and what we offer to the world and those around us.

"Go out and find another girl who'll kiss you without asking the earth."
-I think this is important to remember, especially for me since I have co-dependent tendencies.  It is not fair for our partners to ask the world of us, we all only have so much we can give.

"Any progress he had made on this quest so far he had made by accepting the help that had been offered to him."
-I think this is also an important life lesson for us all to remember.  No one gets anywhere worth going in this world without a little help from others.

"Sometimes I wonder if she transforms people into animals, or whether she finds the beast inside us and frees it."
-I really thought this was a beautiful idea, and I definitely think that Ditchwater Sal freed the beast inside those she transformed.

"I have no wish to be a lord of anywhere or anything, except perhaps my lady's heart."
-Oh my goodness, such cheese!

"Yvaine knew that silver chains come in all shapes and sizes, but she also knew that it would not be wise to begin her life with Tristran by arguing with his mother."
-I loved this quote, because "silver chains" are all around us, and we have to always be on our toes and be aware of what silver chains we are stepping into.  Not all are bad, even, but there is always going to be a sacrifice, there is always going to be a compromise made by every choice we make.

"Your boy will break it or waste it or lose it.  They all do."
"Nevertheless he has my heart.
-While I know the Witch said this in an attempt to sway the star to give her heart to the three witches, I really loved it.  I refer again to the "Every choice is a sacrifice" concept I wrote above.  We never know that the person we love will be true to us, but we give our hearts anyway.

"Have been unexpectedly detained by the world.  Expect us when you see us."
-I was literally sobbing as I read this line.  This story definitely stirred the Wanderlust inside of me.  I honestly would have been completely content with this being the last line of the story and we got to guess at the actual ending.

--||--

Book v. Movie

I honestly loved both the book and the movie.  I was disappointed that the movie removed The Hairy Man's character was removed from the book.  I found it interesting that Captain Shakespeare's character was embellished upon in the movie, and that his character was quite changed in the movie.  I loved the movie version, but it was not what I was expecting based on the book!  I am truly torn between which ending I prefer, the movie ending was much happier, but the book ending seemed much more realistic.  Overall, I say that the book and the story are excellent on their own, but comparing the two, I would prefer the book to the movie.