When you wish upon a star, it might be your so-called life

A while back, Matthew Vaughn made a star out of a certain future Bond and casually wrote his check into Hollywood's elite director's club. Then he did a strange thing. All set to play around with the X-Men universe, he suddenly bowed out for "personal reasons." It turns out Matthew Vaughn had something much more intriguing up his sleeve. His clever take on what happens when you see a shooting star is an enthralling way to end the summer blockbuster season. Stardust just happens to be -- magic.

You'll read a lot of comparisons between this movie and The Princess Bride, and it's obvious why. These are both fairy tales for a cynical world. But while The Princess Bride innocently laid its claim to true love in the hands of its heroes, Stardust is more about what it means to be loved, and how far one will go to find love.

Vaughn creates a parallel world that sweeps you away as soon as Tristan the shop boy figures out how to get past the mysterious wall outside of his village and is blown literally into the arms of a fallen star. His own claim to Claire Danes luminescence is soon thrown aside as a wild chase for the star ensues, snarling dueling heirs to a kingdom's throne with diabolical witches desperate for eternal life. Michelle Pfeiffer is pitch perfect as the evil witch who decays before your eyes and Robert DeNiro throws an unexpected curve ball as a sky pirate with panache. The joy of this movie is having an idea of where it's going, but not being quite sure how it's going to get there. It's a perfect summer fling, where you just let go and enjoy the ride into a magical world you haven't seen.

I'm still smiling hours later after catching a preview screening tonight, and I hope this movie finds the audience it deserves. It's a subversive romantic romp of epic proportions. Matthew Vaughn already was on my radar thanks to Layer Cake, but as far as I'm concerned, Stardust takes this shooting star (pun intended) to a whole new level. Do not miss this movie!