I was looking forward to seeing this. In fact, I almost went to see it on the big screen when it first came out, but now I’m glad I didn’t. It was not as good as expected.
The film starts off slowly. Very slowly. It establishes the existence of a magical kingdon adjacent to Engliand and separated by a simple stone wall. To win his love interest, a village youth, Tristan (played nicely by Charlie Cox), sets off in search of a fallen star beyond the wall. But the star has taken human form (Claire Danes) and is also sought by the son of the land’s dead king (Peter O’Toole), who seeks to claim the kingdom’s throne.
By the time Michelle Pfeiffer appears as the wonderfully evil witch Lamia, who needs the star to regain her youth, director Matthew Vaughn had almost lost me. Robert DeNiro makes his appearance even later, so if you pick this up to see him, you’ve got a long wait. But it’s worth waiting for: As the pirate-like Captain Shakespeare who collects lightening bolts, he has to live up to a ruthless reputation for violence, even though he’s really a cross-dressing pussycat underneath. A very funny part for him.
I’d give this film thumbs down for the first half, and thumbs up for the second. A lot of funny bits featuring the ghostly princes were left on the cutting room floor, but you can see them in the special features, along with a selection of bloopers. Worth watching? Kinda, sorta, maybe – but definitely NOT the compelling fantasy I had hoped it would be.