Stardust (2007)

Stardust (2007) Full Recap

In the English village called Wall, a boy named Dunstan writes a letter to the Royal Academy of Science in London to ask if there's a world beyond the stone wall surrounding his village. A scientist at the academy finds the question funny and writes back, saying there is no evidence to prove the existence of a world beyond the wall. Even though the letter was meant to clear Dunstan's doubts, he refuses to believe the scientist because, according to local folklore, the stone wall surrounding the village hides an extraordinary secret. Years later, Dunstan is now older, and he goes toward the wall to try to convince the guard to let him through.

The guard says he has been charged with guarding a portal to another world, and he can't just let Dunstan through. Dunstan then pretends like he's going back home, but he eventually tricks the guard and runs into the field beyond the wall. The guard tells Dunstan to stop, but he doesn't look back. After a while, Dunstan reaches a magical kingdom called Stormhold.

As he walks around the market in Stormhold, he sees some magical objects and looks amazed. He also sees a pretty slave girl in front of a caravan owned by a witch named Ditchwater Sal. As Dunstan stands in front of the shop and stares at the girl, Sal says she doesn't want him to waste her time if he's not buying anything. She eventually walks away and tells the girl to attend to Dunstan.

Interestingly, the slave girl also likes Dunstan, and she gives him a small flower called a snowdrop, which she says will bring him luck. She then tells him to come with her into Sal's caravan, and as he follows her, he sees a magic chain tied to her leg. As he looks confused, the slave girl says she's a princess, tricked into being a witch's slave. Dunstan cuts the chain, but it magically restores itself.

The slave girl says it's an enchanted chain, and she'll only be free when Sal dies. Dunstan then asks what she wants with him if he can't free her. The slave girl just smiles and tells him to come with her into the caravan. Later that night, Dunstan returns home with the knowledge of a world beyond the wall.

Nine months later, the guard delivers a baby to Dunstan and says it was left at the wall for him. He adds that the baby's name is Tristan. Dunstan realizes that the baby is his son, and he was dropped off by the slave girl. Dunstan gladly accepts the baby and takes good care of him.

Years later, Tristan is now older, and he works at a shop in the neighborhood. After work one day, Tristan heads to the house of his crush, Victoria, with some flowers. When Victoria and her friends see him, they look disappointed because they were expecting someone named Humphrey instead. Victoria asks if she forgot something at the shop when she came earlier, but Tristan says he came to give her flowers.

Before she can say anything, Humphrey arrives and destroys Tristan's flowers. Victoria and her friends find this funny, and Humphrey also humiliates Tristan by playfully knocking him to the ground. He adds that he can't remember Tristan being good at anything while they were in school. Victoria and her friends laugh again, and as Humphrey heads up to meet them, Tristan feels sad.

The next morning, Dunstan sees Tristan getting ready to leave for work. He asks Tristan how things went with Victoria last night, and he says it was great. Later that day, at work, Victoria visits the shop to buy a few things. Tristan immediately ignores the other customers, and after she gets everything she wants, she asks if he can help her carry them home.

Tristan happily does this, but his angry boss eventually fires him. Tristan eventually tells his dad what happened, and how things didn't go well with Victoria last night. He says he's nothing like Humphrey, and Victoria is probably too good for him. Dunstan then tells Tristan not to be bothered about it, because if he doesn't fit with the popular crowd, it's probably a good omen.

That night, Tristan heads to Victoria's house, but she doesn't look happy to see him. Tristan says he has a surprise for her, but Victoria just closes her window. Tristan looks disappointed, but before he leaves, Victoria comes outside and agrees to follow him. He then takes her to a quiet spot where he pours her an expensive wine he recently got.

Victoria asks how a shop boy like him can afford such a wine, but Tristan implies that he doesn't like being called a shop boy. Victoria says he must've used all his savings to buy the wine, but Tristan says he can always make more money. He adds that he doesn't plan to stay in Wall for long because he wants to explore other places. Victoria says he's quite a traveler, like Humphrey, who has gone to Ipswich to buy her a ring.

Tristan looks shocked and asks what it's for, and Victoria says Humphrey wants to propose to her on her birthday. Tristan asks if she'll say yes, and Victoria says she can't reject the proposal, not after Humphrey went to Ipswich to get the ring. Tristan says he would do daring and incredible things to prove that he loves her more than Humphrey. Victoria then says she doesn't think someone like Tristan is meant to be with someone like her.

Tristan looks disappointed, and as Victoria says she has to go home, he convinces her to stay back to finish the wine. Elsewhere, in Stormhold, the dying king summons his sons, Secundus, Septimus, Primus, and Tertius to decide who will be his successor. As the King talks about growing up with many brothers, his sons remind him that he killed all of them to claim the throne. Secundus then mentions that he believes he should be the next king because he's the eldest son.

The King doesn't agree with this, and he gets Septimus to push Secundus out of the window. Secundus dies in the process, and his ghost appears behind the King alongside his other brothers who died in the past. Secundus looks shocked, but he's told that he'll remain like that until a new King is crowned. After this, the King asks his sons about his daughter, Una.

Primus says no one has seen Una in a long time, and Septimus asks why the King is bothered about her, because only a male heir can claim the throne. The King doesn't respond to this, and he says that his son will have to settle things in a non-traditional way. As they look confused, the King takes off his royal necklace and magically removes the red color of the ruby. He then says that only someone with royal blood can restore the ruby, and when the person does that, they'll become the new King of Stormhold.

The King's sons quickly try to grab it, but the necklace eventually flies out of the room and into the sky. In the process, it knocks down a star and falls with it. Tristan and Victoria see the shooting star and admire it from where they are. Tristan then says that for Victoria's hand in marriage, he'd cross the wall to bring her the fallen star.

Victoria says no one crosses the wall, but Tristan says he'll do it for her. Victoria seems impressed and says she'll get married to Tristan if he returns with the star before her birthday, which comes up in a week. She adds that if he fails, she'll marry Humphrey. Elsewhere, a witch named Lamia sees the shooting star and looks excited.

She quickly heads inside to tell her sisters, Empusa and Mormo, that a star has just fallen. The old witches look happy because they know that the heart of the fallen star can make them younger and replenish their powers. Since the sisters have run out of a special traveling device called Babylon Candles, Lamia says she can set out on foot to find the star before another witch claims its heart. Empusa and Mormo agree to let Lamia go out on their behalf, and Lamia eats the remnants of the last heart they got from another star many years ago.

This makes her younger, and she tells her sisters that she won't fail them. Elsewhere, the star lands and becomes a lady named Yvaine, who looks shocked and sees the royal necklace right beside her. After Yvaine puts on the necklace, she starts wondering what to do next. Meanwhile, Tristan heads toward the wall, and the guard thinks it's Dunstan.

He says he hopes Dunstan isn't coming to cross the wall again, and Tristan looks surprised. The guard eventually realizes that he's talking to Tristan, and he says he wasn't trying to imply anything with what he said earlier. He also tells Tristan to go back home because no one can cross the wall. Tristan tries to trick the guard, but the old man doesn't fall for it.

He also beats up Tristan and sends him home. Elsewhere, the royal Bishop tells Primus to find the ruby before his brothers because he'll make a great king. Septimus and Tertius hear this as they enter the hall, but the Bishop pretends like he didn't say anything. A slave then serves them wine, and as they drink it, the bishop suddenly collapses and dies.

Tertius also dies, and Septimus confesses that he made the slave poison the wine. He adds that Primus drank from the wrong cup, and that's why the Bishop is dead instead. Primus looks shocked, but Septimus tells his brother to leave the quest for the ruby to him. Elsewhere, Tristan arrives home and tells his dad what happened at the wall.

Dunstan finds this funny and asks why Tristan wanted to cross the wall. Tristan says he can also ask his dad the same thing, and Dunstan decides to tell him about his mom and how they met. He also shows Tristan the magic chain and the snowdrop. Tristan looks amazed and keeps the items in his pocket.

Dunstan then shows Tristan the letter his mom dropped off with him. He says he never opened it because it was addressed to Tristan. Following this, Tristan opens the letter and sees a Babylon candle inside. He then reads the letter and learns that his mom couldn't keep him because Sal didn't like the idea of having a baby around.

In the letter, Tristan's mom also mentions that she hopes they'll meet one day. She adds that the fastest way to travel is by candlelight, and to use it, he has to think of her. After this, Tristan lights the candle, and as he thinks about his mom, he disappears. He then suddenly appears in the sky and lands in the crater where Yvaine fell.

When he sees Yvaine, he asks if she's his mom, but she pushes him away and says it can't be her. Tristan looks confused but realizes that he's in a crater. As Yvaine then laments about being knocked down by the necklace, Tristan looks excited and realizes that she's the star. He also figures out that the candle brought him to Yvaine because he was actually thinking about the star.

He says she'll be a present for Victoria, but Yvaine doesn't understand this. As she refuses to follow him, he uses the magic chain to claim her. Yvaine still doesn't want to go anywhere because she's tired, but Tristan shows her what's left of the Babylon candle and offers to give it to her if she follows him to Victoria. Yvaine initially disagrees, but since she has nowhere else to go, she changes her mind.

Meanwhile, Lamia sees a boy named Bernard caring for his mother's goat. She then turns him into a goat so that she'll have two goats to pull her small carriage as she hunts for the star. Shortly after, she sees Sal on the way and asks for some food. Sal then orders the slave girl, who she had initially turned into a bird, to give Lamia a stool.

When Lamia starts eating, Sal asks what she's looking for, and she talks about the star. Almost immediately, Lamia realizes that Sal put something in her food to get the truth out of her. Lamia isn't happy about this, and she casts a spell on Sal so she'll be unable to see, touch, or hear the fallen star. Elsewhere, Septimus and Primus begin their individual quests to find the star.

After walking for a while, Yvaine sits down near a tree because she's tired. Tristan says they have to continue walking, but Yvaine says she's not used to being awake during the day. Tristan then chains her to the tree and decides to go to the next village to get them something to eat. Hours later, a unicorn appears through the woods and rescues Yvaine.

Meanwhile, Lamia struggles to find the star with her runes, and she contacts her sisters for help. After they sacrifice an animal, they inform Lamia that the star is coming toward her, and she has to set a trap for it. Following this, Lamia turns the goats into humans, and she makes Bernard a girl. She also conjures up a wayside inn so that Yvaine can stop there to rest.

After she enters the inn, she says that Bernard will be her daughter, while the other goat, Billy, will pretend to be her husband. Billy still behaves like a goat, but he understands what Lamia said. Later that night, Tristan returns to where he left Yvaine and realizes that she has escaped. He looks disappointed and decides to rest next to the tree.

While he's sleeping, he suddenly hears the stars in the sky whispering to him that Yvaine is in danger, and he has to save her. The stars also tell Tristan that a coach is approaching, and he needs to get on it. When Tristan wakes up, he hears Primus' coach heading toward him, and as it gets closer, he tries to jump on it. He falls in the process, and Primus sees him.

Primus assumes that Tristan is working for Septimus, but he says he just needs a lift. Primus then agrees to travel with Tristan, who looks happy. Shortly after, Yvaine stops at the inn to rest, and Lamia gladly welcomes her in. After Yvaine takes a bath, she starts glowing, and Lamia takes her to a room upstairs.

As she's about to kill Yvaine, someone knocks on the door, and this gets her pissed. She then tells Yvaine to wait for her in the room while she attends to the customer at the door. Interestingly, it turns out to be Primus, and as Billy opens the door, the prince tells him to help Tristan take the horses to the stables. Shortly after, while Primus is taking a bath, Lamia pours some poison into a cup of wine and takes it to him.

However, Primus rejects it and says he has decided to only drink his own wine until Septimus is dead. He also mentions that Lamia can take the wine to Tristan in the stables. Lamia then gives Bernard the cup of wine and tells him to take it to Tristan. Shortly after, Yvaine leaves her room, and Primus sees her.

He doesn't notice that she's wearing the necklace, and he just starts talking about random things. Meanwhile, in the stables, Bernard gives Tristan the cup of wine, and he appreciates it. He also asks for the girl's name, and Bernard says it with his manly voice. Tristan looks confused, and before he drinks the wine, the unicorn breaks out of its cage and knocks down the cup.

Tristan then realizes that the wine was poisoned, and he quickly leaves the stables to warn Primus. Interestingly, Primus has already noticed that Yvaine is wearing the necklace, and as he asks for it, Lamia kills him. Yvaine looks shocked, but Tristan enters the house with the unicorn to protect her. Before Tristan can escape with Yvaine, Lamia traps them in a ring of fire.

Tristan then holds on to Yvaine and tells her to think of home. As she does this, Tristan lights what's left of the Babylon candle, and they disappear before Lamia can kill them. Unfortunately, they end up standing on a cloud, and Tristan realizes that Yvaine thought of her home while he thought of his. Yvaine says he wasn't clear enough, and that's why they're stuck in the middle of their homes.

Before they can think of what to do next, the pirates inside a flying ship see them. The leader of the pirates, Captain Shakespeare, eventually decides to bring them onto his ship and locks them up in the brig. There, Yvaine talks about how she always wanted to go on adventures. Tristan also jokes about how he thought he'd find a rock to take back to Victoria.

Yvaine says she wants to know more about Victoria, but Tristan realizes that he doesn't have anything else to say other than being in love with her. Yvaine says she thought love was unconditional, not something that could be bought. Tristan says he wasn't trying to buy Victoria's love with the star, and he was just trying to prove his love for her. Yvaine asks what Victoria is doing to prove hers, and Tristan realizes that she's right.

Elsewhere, Septimus sees Primus' dead body and realizes that he's the only one left. As he says he still has to find the ruby, Bernard comes out of hiding. Septimus then asks for the stone, and Bernard says the girl Lamia tried to kill has it. Septimus doesn't understand this, but Bernard says Lamia wanted to eat the girl's heart because she's a star.

Septimus looks amazed and realizes that he could have eternal life if he's able to find Yvaine. Elsewhere, Lamia contacts her sisters to help her find Yvaine. They then make another sacrifice and inform her that Yvaine is airborne. Lamia tells them to inform her when Yvaine is back on the ground, and they say they'll do that.

They also warn her that Septimus is on a quest to find Yvaine. Back on the flying ship, Shakespeare enters the brig to ask Tristan and Yvaine some questions. Tristan says Yvaine is his wife, and they were only finding their way back home to Wall. Shakespeare then pretends to kill Tristan to fool his men.

He also takes Yvaine to his secret quarters, where Tristan is already waiting for them. Yvaine and Tristan are surprised by this, but Shakespeare says he only pretends to be a tough captain in front of his men because he's following in his late father's footsteps. He adds that he'll give Tristan a makeover so that his men won't recognize him. Tristan and Yvaine look happy, and Shakespeare says he wants to hear stories about England because he likes the country.

After this, Tristan and Yvaine change their clothes, and Shakespeare and his men eventually stop to sell some lightning bolts to a man named Ferdy. Ferdy then asks if Shakespeare has heard anything about a fallen star. Almost immediately, Shakespeare realizes what Yvaine is, but he tells Ferdy to stop listening to nonsense. As Shakespeare and his men return to the ship, they see Tristan looking different.

The other pirates don't recognize Tristan, and Shakespeare introduces him to them as his nephew. As they continue their journey, Shakespeare teaches Tristan how to fight while Yvaine learns how to dance. During one of Yvaine's lessons, Shakespeare tells her that he knows what she is because of her glow. He then tells her that her emotions give her away, and she has to learn to control them because there might be bad people after her.

After this, Tristan dances with Yvaine, and they both look happy. Elsewhere, Lamia finds Ferdy and asks if he saw a girl with Shakespeare. Ferdy says he did, and he also tells Lamia where Shakespeare is headed. As she's about to leave, she casts a spell to make him sound like a bird.

When Septimus arrives at Ferdy's place, Ferdy is unable to say anything. As Septimus gets pissed, he kills Ferdy and continues his search for Yvaine. Shortly after, Shakespeare stops his ship again to drop Tristan and Yvaine off on land so they can continue their journey to Wall. After saying goodbye to Yvaine, Shakespeare whispers something to Tristan before he gets off the ship.

Yvaine and Tristan then continue their journey on foot. On the way, Tristan gets Yvaine to hide in the bushes with him so that someone approaching won't see them. Yvaine starts glowing again, and she asks if Tristan isn't tempted to take her heart. Tristan says he can't kill anyone, and even if he could, he wouldn't do it because living forever must be lonely.

Shortly after, they reach a sign showing that they're two days away from Wall. Yvaine seems concerned that they won't make it in time for Victoria's birthday, but Tristan isn't sure that he feels the same way about Victoria anymore. A few minutes later, they come across Sal's caravan and ask if she can give them a lift. Interestingly, Sal has turned the slave girl back into a bird, but she still recognizes her son in that form.

Sal also sees Tristan with the snowdrop and says she has been looking for it for years. Tristan offers to give it to her if she promises to take him to Wall. Sal says she'll do that, but as Tristan gives her the snowdrop, she turns him into a mouse and reveals that the flower protects people from spells or enchantments. Yvaine complains about what Sal just did, but it turns out that Sal can't see or hear her because of Lamia's spell.

Despite this, Yvaine enters the caravan and sees Tristan inside a small cage. She assumes that he can't understand her, and she says she thinks she's in love with him. She adds that she feels incredibly strange, like she wouldn't mind giving him her heart. Shortly after, Sal changes Tristan back and drops him off about a mile away from Wall.

Tristan still feels dizzy, and Yvaine takes him to a nearby inn. There, Tristan gets better and asks if Yvaine meant what she said inside the caravan. Yvaine feels embarrassed and says she didn't know he could hear her, but he says he feels the same way about her. He adds that Shakespeare told him earlier that his true love was right in front of him.

Elsewhere, Lamia's beauty starts wearing off, and she contacts her sisters again. As Lamia learns that the star is on her way to Wall, she doesn't look happy because Yvaine will turn to dust if she crosses the wall. Lamia's sisters tell her to stop that from happening, and she says she will. The next morning, while Yvaine is still sleeping, Tristan cuts a lock of her hair and decides to take it to Wall to show Victoria.

On the way, he tells the owner of the inn to tell Yvaine something when she wakes up. After a while, Yvaine wakes up and sees that Tristan isn't around anymore. As she heads downstairs, the owner of the inn tells her that Tristan went to see Victoria because he's sorry, but that he has also found his true love and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Yvaine looks disappointed because she thinks Tristan was talking about Victoria.

She then walks aimlessly toward the wall. Sal's slave girl sees her on the way and tries to warn her not to go, but she doesn't listen. The slave girl then takes over the caravan and tries to save Yvaine. Elsewhere, in Wall, Victoria admires Tristan's new look when she sees him. She also seems attracted to him for the first time.

Tristan says he came to give her a part of the star, but as he notices that the hair has turned to stardust, he realizes that Yvaine can't come to Wall. Coincidentally, Humphrey is also back from Ipswich, and he seems pissed when he sees Tristan. However, Tristan says he's not fighting over Victoria anymore, and that Humphrey is actually the perfect person for her. He then runs back toward the wall to try to warn Yvaine.

Just before Yvaine can cross the wall, the slave girl stops her. Yvaine looks confused, but Sal suddenly grabs her slave's chain and pulls her back angrily for taking control of the caravan. Almost immediately, Lamia arrives and tells Yvaine that crossing the wall would've killed her. She also remembers what Sal did to her, and she kills her fellow witch.

This sets the slave girl free, but Lamia says she's taking her and Yvaine to the witches' manor. The guard at the wall sees everything that happened, and as he runs away, he bumps into Tristan. Tristan asks what's wrong, and after the guard tells him, he checks Sal's caravan and sees the snowdrop. After he picks it up, he heads toward the witches' manor.

Coincidentally, Septimus has tracked down Yvaine to the wall, and as he sees Sal's abandoned caravan, he looks confused and decides to follow the tracks of Lamia's carriage. Shortly after, Lamia arrives with Yvaine and Sal's slave, and her sisters look excited. They quickly tie Yvaine up to a table so they can rip out her heart. Tristan arrives at the manor and watches what's happening inside.

Stardust (2007) Ending Explained

Septimus meets him there, and even though they initially threaten to kill each other, they agree to work together to stop the witches. After this, they break into the manor, and as the Slave girl tries to escape, Septimus stops her. Surprisingly, he recognizes her as his sister, Una, and she also cannot believe her eyes. After he leaves her alone, one of the witches attacks him, and Una quickly takes Tristan aside to inform him that she's his mom.

He looks shocked when he hears this, and she also hugs him. Meanwhile, Septimus finishes off one of the witches, but Lamia eventually uses a voodoo doll to kill him. As Lamia and her other sister then turn to Yvaine, Una tells Tristan to be the man she knows he is. Just then, he tells her to go outside, and as she does this, he shows up to confront the witches.

Lamia sends her sister to deal with him, but he just releases the animals inside the manor to kill her. Lamia then uses her powers on him, but it doesn't work, and Tristan realizes that it's because of the snowdrop. Lamia then controls Septimus' dead body to attack Tristan, but he overpowers it and tries to save Yvaine. Lamia gets a chance to kill him, but she suddenly accepts defeat and says she can't enjoy Yvaine's heart alone without her sisters.

Tristan and Yvaine look confused, but she says they can go. As they head toward the entrance, Lamia locks down the manor and laughs hysterically. Tristan looks scared, but Yvaine tells him to hug her and close his eyes. As he does this, she shines brightly, and her light destroys Lamia.

Tristan asks why she didn't do that before, but she says no star can shine with a broken heart. She adds that she thought he left her, but Tristan says he would never do that because he loves her. As Yvaine then goes to meet Una, Tristan sees the gem from the royal necklace on the floor. When he picks it up, the ruby turns red.

Tristan looks confused, but Una says he's the last surviving heir of the Stormhold bloodline. The ghosts of Una's brothers suddenly disappear, and Tristan realizes that he's now King. When Tristan returns to Stormhold, he's crowned King, with Yvaine also becoming the Queen. Victoria attends the coronation ceremony with Humphrey, and she looks disappointed.

After a while, Una gives Yvaine a gift, and as she opens it, she sees that it's a Babylon candle. This makes her happy, and she also shows it to Tristan. They eventually ruled the kingdom for 80 years, and after their children and grandchildren were grown, they used the Babylon candle to head to the sky to live happily ever after as stars. After struggling to get Victoria to like him, Tristan decides to prove his love for her by going beyond the wall to bring her a fallen star.

On his quest, he discovers that the fallen star is actually a lady named Yvaine, who teaches him that true love is unconditional. They eventually fall in love with each other, and despite having to deal with a wicked witch who wants to kill Yvaine, they survive and are crowned King and Queen of Stormhold. In this story, we learn that true love is about finding someone who wants you as much as you want them.