This adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantasy graphic novel (co-written by Mrs Jonathan Ross, Jane Goldman) invites comparison with The Princess Bride and Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen for its fantastical imagination, scale, humour and cross-generational appeal. Charlie Cox plays Tristan, a young shop assistant in rural Victorian England, who enters a magical parallel world in pursuit of a fallen star in order to prove his worth to indifferent sweetheart Victoria (Sienna Miller). The star has taken on the earthly shape of Yvaine (Claire Danes) and the two find themselves pursued by Lamia the witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) and a motley crew of murderous princes, several of whom are dead. Salvation comes in the unlikely form of Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), the transvestite captain of a flying pirate ship, and the initial animosity between Tristan and Yvaine slowly gives way to affection. The pace is brisk throughout and the story delightfully picaresque, while director Matthew Vaughn makes the most of some awesome Scottish and Icelandic backdrops and impressive studio sets.

In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm. His journey takes him into a world beyond his wildest dreams and reveals his true identity.