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With so many films released each year, it is foreseeable that they will differ in quality. The wrong director, a poor screenplay, budget problems, or studio interference can turn the best idea into a mediocre or even outright disastrous result.

One of the fascinating aspects of film is to compare two movies that are analogous in tone or genre, but not equivalent in their entertainment value. The theme of this column will be to review one production that I thoroughly enjoyed and then reflect upon a similar movie that I found dreadful. If the two were directly competing for an audience's satisfaction, one would win easily and the other would lose severely.

This week I wish to look at two films in the fantasy genre. One was an outstanding achievement in cinema while the other became a chore just to finish watching.

Stardust

Sometimes a film sneaks up on its viewer and takes him or her completely by surprise with its quality. If I had to list the movies that surpassed my expectations over the last several years, Stardust would probably be at the top. I saw the film's trailer several times in the summer of 2007, and I was not impressed. The marketing made Stardust appear to be a silly fantasy movie with cheap action and lame jokes. Considering its domestic box office of $38.6 million, I'm guessing that an awful lot of people were equally misled. Fortunately, the international gross was nearly $97 million, which helped it recover somewhat, but a lot of people like myself ended up missing a fantastic movie at the theaters.

In the film, Tristan, played by Charlie Cox, is a young man with low self-esteem who is infatuated with Sienna Miller's character, Victoria. The two live in the village of Wall; a small community that came upon its name due to an extremely long stone wall that separates the village from a magical kingdom called Stormhold. One night, a falling star crashes in Stormhold and Tristan vows to retrieve it in order to gain the appreciation of the woman he loves. What Tristan will soon learn is that the falling star is in fact alive and in the shape of Claire Danes. However, there is more than one party in search of the star, including a trio of witches who need to eat the star's heart in order to regain their beauty and a murderous prince who wishes to become king. Before Tristan's adventure is over, he will encounter a band of pirates, have to deal with numerous magical spells, find the mother he never knew, and discover that love is unpredictable and not always what it first seems.

Everything in Stardust clicks as magical as its premise. Fine acting, a thrilling score by Ilan Eshkeri, a wonderful story, humor, phenomenal cinematography, special effects, and directing all add up to a movie with endless replay value.

The film manages to mix its many comedic scenes and rousing action set pieces with ease. It is based on a four-issue prestige format comic book by Neil Gaiman who also wrote the screenplay for Beowulf, the novella Coraline, and is best known for the Sandman comic series.

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