Last week, I was convinced that Pixar’s animated fun-fest Ratatouille would be the must-see movie for the half term holidays, writes our Movie Blogger Carl Jones. This week, I bring glad tidings . . . it has a rival for the title.

Fantasy adventure Stardust is a real treat, with fantasy adventure to rival Lord of the Rings, charm and innocence to compare with Narnia, and the kind of offbeat black comedy which could have been torn straight from a Piratesof the Caribbean script. Not to mention a power-packed cast.

Check out our Stardust film trailer here and read our Movie Blogger’s tribute to Hollywood legend Deborah Kerr here.

The sleepy English village of Wall gets its name because of a mysterious dry-stone wall which circles the community, protecting locals from the dangers that lie beyond in a faraway fantasy world called Stormhold.

Shy and innocent village boy Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) is madly in love with fair maiden Victoria (Sienna Miller), but she only has fluttering eyes for bounder Humphrey (Henry Cavill).

To prove his love, Tristan offers to do the unthinkable – cross the wall and bring back a fallen star as a birthday present for Victoria.

Tristan finds his falling star, who turns out to be a young woman called Yvaine (Claire Danes). But evil Prince Septimus (Mark Strong) and conniving hag Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) are also hunting for the fallen celestial
body, for their own more sinister purposes.

Rising star Cox more than holds his own as the unlikely hero in the face of impressive special effects, screen beauties Danes and Miller, and a veritable who’s who of supporting stars.

Pfeiffer puts in a great pantomime turn as the witch whose beauty fades every time she points her powerful finger, and De Niro is a scene-stealing delight as a tough-guy airship captain who hides a secret passion for camp fashion.

The flirtatious humour should appeal to parents, while most of the fantasy violence is mild enough to delight younger audiences rather than terrify them.

Take That round off proceedings in suitably rousing fashion with their new tune Rule The World over the end titles to complete a movie which stands comparison against any of the big-budget offerings this year.