Murdered by pirates is good!

My top three movies are Princess Bride, Sneakers, and Much Ado About Nothing. That's in no particular order, and there hasn't been a movie in many years that has come close to taking a spot. The closest one that I can think of is Mystery Men, which I enjoyed immensely and still watch occasionally, but which didn't quite deserve a place.

Today I saw Stardust. My top four movies are Princess Bride, Sneakers, Much Ado About Nothing, and Stardust. There were so many excellent moments in the movie that I would have trouble commemorating them all here. The characters were excellent and really felt right to me: lately in movies where there's been a young man in the leading role, that character inevitably annoys me and doesn't feel quite right. In Stardust however, young Tristan, while doing a few stupid things, really felt like a person I could relate to in how he acted. Rather than being annoyed by the main character, I felt like I could identify with him. I could go on about the others: Robert De Niro, Claire Daines, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Strong and Mark Williams all deserve a comment about their particular roles. I will mention the narration: it was excellent. Having a familiar voice there to open the story is a wonderful thing, and for me it evoked memories of a story being told to a young boy, much like the way Princess Bride made that overt.

Possible spoiler warning: you may not wish to read the next paragraph if you haven't seen the movie. It doesn't spoil a huge plot point, but it is a special moment if you recognize it for yourself.

There was one moment that deserves special mention, as it really made the connection to Princess Bride for me, and while it may not have meant to, it was worded so closely that it didn't feel like a mistake at all: When captured, Yvaine lists her options as "Murdered by pirates", having her heart cut out by a witch, and being taken to see Victoria. A similar list of dreadful fates is given by the Narrator in Princess Bride as the story starts, and the boy listening to the story comments, "Murdered by pirates is good!". That was exactly my reaction to hearing it in Stardust, and was a special moment for me.