Author Neil Gaiman feels guilty. Not because he wrote an episode of cheesy 'Star Trek' rip-off 'Babylon 5'. Not because he put together a comic book for a lacklustre, long-forgotten Alice Cooper album. But because every time one of his stories becomes a film, his flights of fancy must be transformed from simple words on a page to actual physical representations of those very words he imagined and typed so easily.

'Stardust' — a rollicking tale of flying pirate ships, 500-year-old witches, goat-to-human transformations, and a star that's fallen from the sky looking just like Claire Danes — is a case in point. To bring his "fairy story for adults" to the screen took a budget of some $90-million (and 30 to 40 people working for eight weeks to build the ship). But instead of guilt Gaiman should feel pride. Sure, there are some problems with the big screen adaptation of his novel (it rambles a bit; even close on $100-million doesn’t buy the best special effects) but these only further contribute to the charm of the most entertaining fantasy film since 'Willow'.

Things could have turned out far worse. Directed and co-written by a man with a background in gangster movies and best known as Claudia Schiffer's husband, it features an unknown in the lead male role and is packed so full of big name stars that you’d think they're overcompensating for something — concerns all blown away within the first 10 minutes. Matthew Vaughn's treatment of the tale as "'Princess Bride' meets 'Midnight Run'" is spot-on, his choice of Charlie Cox as the lovestruck hero Tristan is inspired, and the selection of Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ricky Gervais, Sienna Miller, Peter O'Toole, Rupert Everett and the tall guy from 'Little Britain' has much more to do with their talent as actors than their box office clout.

Cox is refreshingly (but purposely) naïve and out of his depth as the young man who tries to win the heart of a beautiful girl (Miller) by bringing her a falling star. What seems like a simple task turns into a magical, but dangerous, quest that has him protecting a celestial beauty (Danes) from an old witch (Pfeiffer) who wants her youth and rival brothers battling for the throne. Throw in a shifty trader (Gervais), marauding rogue pirate with a dark secret (De Niro) and plenty of horse-riding, sorcery and swordplay and you're left, quite literally, spellbound.

Extras: The 30-minute 'Good Omens' is a slightly disjointed but revealing making-of featurette with behind the scenes footage and insightful interviews from the likes of Gaiman (revealing his inspirations for the story), Vaughn, Cox (who, says the director, pulls off looking heroic and nerdy), Danes (showing a quirky sense of humour), and visual effects creators. De Niro and Pfeiffer missing in action. If you've seen outtakes from 'The Office', you won't be surprised to find the blooper reel dominated by a giggling Gervais. And the five deleted scenes don't add much except more of the dead princes bickering, and a mawkish alternate ending.