Movie Mondays: On Mondays, I will review a book series or novel that has been made into a movie. I will then answer the question that everyone asks: which is better, the movie or the book? Here is this week’s offering:
Book: Stardust by Neil Gaiman | Movie: Stardust (2007)
Which did I read/see first? the MOVIE
Book Cover | Movie Poster
Which did I read/see first? the BOOK
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: Third Person, Multiple
Publication Dates: 1998
Source & Format: Own–Softcover
Neil Gaiman is one of those authors that everyone seems to have read and enjoyed. I myself had never read one of his books before so I decided to give it a shot.
I will admit that my reading of this book is skewed as I saw the movie before I read the book. I think I was expecting a novel more like the movie and that isn’t the case. While the two do share some similarities, there are also some key differences and because of this, I was a little disappointed in the novel.
I liked it enough, but I often felt like it was a little too out-there for me. I didn’t connect with the characters as well as in the movie and I didn’t really like the plot twists as well either. I also thought it was missing out on some of the charm the movie had as well.
Overall, the book didn’t do much for me. It was an interesting story but didn’t capture my attention all that well.
Rating: 3/5
I was skeptical about seeing this movie. When the trailers were playing on TV, I thought “this is going to be a weird movie”. However, I was watching Much Music (the Canadian MTV) and one of the VJ kept raving on and on about how excited she was for this movie and then proceeded to play a few clips from the movie. After seeing these additional clips, my interest was peaked and I waited until it was available on DVD to watch it.
I loved this movie–which slightly shocked me I think. There was so much more to it than the trailers had given me reason to believe and I liked the quirkiness to it. I liked the whole adventure that Tristan and Yvaine go on and the banter between them & the other characters. It was adorable to watch the romance between them. The cast was fantastic and I have to say that Robert De Niro made the movie for me. There is something about the characters in the movie that I like so much more than in the book.
The movie reminded me a bit of The Princess Bride in that it has this charm to it that makes you love it (but be warned, it isn’t nearly as funny). I have since seen it numerous times and every once and a while I just get a hankering to watch it (like as I write this review :P)
So, which is better: the book or the movie?
In this case, the winner is the MOVIE. This is definitely just a personal preference and completely subjective. I don’t think it has anything to do with watching the movie first–I think it is just because I enjoyed the plot path the movie takes more so than the novel. I certainly won’t begrudge anyone who disagrees with me as the novel is beautifully written and so creative and unique but I enjoy the movie a lot more.
Do you agree? Leave a comment below!
Synopsis for Stardust (from Goodreads):
Catch a fallen star…Tristan Thorn promised to bring back a fallen star. So he sets out on a journey to fulfill the request of his beloved, the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester – and stumbles into the enchanted realm that lies beyond the wall of his English country town. Rich with adventure and magic, Stardust is one of master storyteller Neil Gaiman’s most beloved tales, and the inspiration for the hit movie
Trailer:
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