"Stardust" is like a fantasy on steroids.

It's all bulked up with bits and pieces from fairy tales and myths and movies alike: a prince who covets his father's throne and is willing to kill his brothers for it; a royal unaware of his own blue blood; a cozy village with peril and pleasure beyond its borders; and a witch who appears in magic mirrors, wants to be the fairest one of all and is willing to slice the heart out of a beautiful young woman so she can reverse the ravages of time.

At least in "Snow White," the evil stepmother just wanted a huntsman to put the girl's heart in a box. Here, the witch wants to eat it, because the younger woman is actually a fallen star, and the heart will turn her from crone to comely maiden once more.

	Credit, Post-Gazette Robert De Niro, left, works his magic on Claire Danes and Charlie Cox in "Stardust." Click photo for larger image. 'Stardust' Starring: Charlie Cox and Claire Danes, at left, and Michelle Pfeiffer Director: Matthew Vaughn. Rating: PG-13 for some fantasy violence and risque humor. Web site: stardustmovie.com Related story Family Film Guide

For good measure, "Stardust" tosses in an absent mother, ghostly figures, a unicorn, poisoned drinks, a pirate ship that sails through the clouds and assorted spells, some of which turn goats into innkeepers or a man's speech into squawking sounds or an enslaved woman into a chained bird.

"Stardust" is based on a DC Comics series by Neil Gaiman, with illustrations by Charles Vess, later released in book form. Matthew Vaughn ("Layer Cake") directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman.

As noted in a Post-Gazette story on Wednesday, the movie bears only a passing resemblance to Gaiman's book at times, particularly in a character played by Robert De Niro. Various creatures and characters have been jettisoned, and sex and violence toned down to secure a PG-13 rating.

The movie opens in the quiet English village of Wall. When one of the residents slips past the ancient gatekeeper at the cobblestone wall that surrounds the village, he meets a woman and (off screen) fathers a child who lands on his doorstep nine months later.

The child grows into a young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox), who falls for the village beauty, Victoria (Sienna Miller). She has eyes for another, but Tristan thinks he has an ace in the hole -- or a fallen star outside the village boundaries -- that will allow him to win Victoria's hand in marriage.

The star, however, actually turns out to be a long-haired blonde (Claire Danes), who is none too happy to have tumbled from the sky and be tethered to her captor.

A witch named Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her two sisters also covet the star, which can restore their youth and beauty. With a few bites from the heavenly body they've been hoarding, Lamia is turned from a balding, sagging, mottled-skinned hag to a wavy-haired blonde with creamy complexion.

At the same time, a king (Peter O'Toole, in an expanded cameo) is on his deathbed and about to announce the successor among his sons. That triggers a deadly rivalry, among the princes who may be killed but never really go away; they appear as colorless specters still bearing the signs of their murders.

As Tristan attempts to bring the star back to his lady love, the pair encounter a pirate by the name of Captain Shakespeare (De Niro), who has a bit of fairy godmother or godfather in him. He does a little extreme makeover on the pair and issues some advice that proves prescient.

As with all good fantasies or fairy tales, "Stardust" comes down to a battle between good and evil. On the line are love, family and preservation of the true royal lineage. Plus heart, in every conceivable way.

"Stardust" is like the finale of a Zambelli fireworks, with shells shooting off in any and all directions. But with a few duds mistakenly landing in the weeds.

It's eccentrically well-cast, with Ian McKellen as the unseen narrator and De Niro, Pfeiffer, O'Toole, Cox, Danes and Miller joined by Rupert Everett, Ricky Gervais and, as the village guard, David Kelly, who was Grandpa Joe in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." With its multiple plot points and bit players, however, it often seems like a Reader's Digest condensed version of the story.

One of the best parts of the movie is Pfeiffer's transformation, from grotesque to gorgeous in seconds. The worst may be a secret affectation given to De Niro's Captain Shakespeare. If exposed, it could damage his reputation -- as he says, "A lifetime to build, seconds to destroy."

The captain's side story, invented for the movie, seems designed simply to goose the audience for laughs and play with De Niro's tough-guy image.

In the end, with enough characters for a trilogy and some effects that bear their obvious CGI origins, "Stardust" is entertaining but hit-and-miss in casting its magic spell.