Set a couple of hundred years ago, in an age where magic was still believed in, there was the village of Wall; so named, because of a long, short stone wall that ran along its borders and is rumored to be a magical border between our world and another. This belief is so strong in fact that positioned at the only gap in this wall is a guard and no one at the village would dream of crossing it. So imagine the elderly guard's shock when a young teenager approaches him and tricks him into letting him cross the barrier. After a wonderful night in a strange gypsy-like village where the boy falls in love with a woman, he returns to his world, and nine months later finds a baby on his door step.
This baby is Tristan Thorn (Charlie Cox), and the protagonist of our adventure. Tristan has been in love with the prettiest woman in town for years, but she seems to be waffling between Tristan and the most dashing young man in town. Actually, it seems like she just pays attention to Tristan when she wants something from him. Meanwhile, in the land on the other side of the wall, The King (Peter O'Toole) is dying, and it seems like his sons haven't been following the traditional way of choosing a successor (that is, killing all the other siblings so there is only one surviving heir). So as The King's last act, he drains the red from a royal ruby and throws it out the window. He proclaims that only one of noble blood can restore its color and that person is the next king. As a side note, there appears to be a curse on the family. Until a new king is chosen, all of the siblings who were murdered must hang around and haunt the remaining family members. Well, the ruby the king threw out the window flew into the air and seems to have knocked a star from the heavens. When Tristan and his love see the falling star, he proclaims that he will fetch the star and bring it back to her to show his love and prove he is worthy of her hand in marriage.
So, let's recap, in Stardust we have a fallen star, Yvaine (Claire Danes), who has the clear ruby, a group of murdering princes looking for the ruby and young Tristan looking for the star (though he doesn't realize the star looks human on the other side of the wall). But that isn't all - it seems a trio of witch sisters, led by Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), have also learned of the star and wish to use her heart to revitalize and rejuvenate their youth.
Okay, that's all the setup. Basically, Tristan will spend the movie trying to bring Yvaine back to Wall while the princes and witches hunt them down. Along the way, they will meet various magical characters, but chief among them is a group of lightning fishers/pirates led by Captain Shakespeare (Robert DeNiro), who seems to be a bit more... um... flamboyant than your average pirate captain.
When it comes down to it, this movie has everything a fantasy story should have. There is the young man who doesn't know the significance of his origins and goes on a journey of discovery. There are the fantastical characters, shape-shifting, magic and tons of multi-level humor that make it good for both kids and adults. I really enjoyed this film and its definitely worth seeing at least once.
