This Underrated 2007 Fantasy Film Still Has One Of The Best Opening Lines In Hollywood History

Published Oct 13, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT

Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage and co-lead of Superheroes, Tom Bacon now works with the movies and books teams. He's a lifelong fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and loves franchises such as Doctor Who and Marvel. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon.

Tom has a wide range of interests, and he continues to serve his university as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too.

Matthew Vaughn's Stardust is a fantasy classic, and the opening line alone proves it's a masterpiece in the genre. It's easy to underestimate how important the first few minutes are to any movie. George Lucas' first Star Wars, for example, launches with a retro opening crawl and grand John Williams music that tells everyone this is going to be a thrill. In the modern age, where every film is watched (or rewatched) on streaming, even Hollywood blockbusters only have minutes to impress.

The best fantasy movies have to accomplish a lot, at speed. They have to swiftly introduce viewers to new worlds, new races, and countless different magical objects. Some go for atmosphere, some go for action, but Matthew Vaughn's Stardust borrows from Neil Gaiman's book of the same name by focusing in on the theme. In doing so, it introduces its characters in epic fare, establishing itself as a true classic of the genre.

Stardust's Opening Scene Is Absolutely Unforgettable

The Theme Is Laid Out Right From The Start

The narrator of Stardust is, of course, the inimitable Sir Ian McKellen. He kicks things off in fine, dramatic style with a stunning opening line: "A philosopher once asked: are we human because we gaze up at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we're human? Pointless, really. Do the stars gaze back? Now that's a question."

The line is simple but effective. It's a superb quote, establishing the movie's whimsical character; this is a film of grandeur and spectacle that nonetheless doesn't take itself too seriously. But the narrator's dialogue also homes in on the theme, the question of what it means to be a human being. It suggests humans are characterized by a sense of wonder — and that the stars are looking back.

It is, of course, a romantic notion in every sense. Stardust may have a lot of action to it, but the plot is fundamentally one about romance; we get Tristan's fantastical backstory followed by an introduction to Tristan himself as a frustrated romantic trying to woo his beloved Victoria.

Stardust Failed To Find The Success It Deserves

Stardust was designed to have the storybook feel of The Princess Bride, and it should have been a breakout hit: it has a fantastic cast including Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and Henry Cavill. It was relatively well-received, with a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 77%, and its audience score sits at 86%. Remarkably, though, Stardust grossed just $137 million in the global box office.

And yet, as the years have passed, Stardust's reputation has improved. It's now seen as a cult classic, a fantasy that speaks to the core of the genre; literary expert Donald Maass famously described fantasy as the genre that "gives readers an escape from the constraints and anxieties of ordinary technological life into a world of myth and possibility," and that's Stardust to the core. What's more, it has the moral edge of all the best fairytales.

All this is captured in one fantastical opening line. Like all the best fantasy quotes, Stardust's opening carries so much meaning — all the wit and whimsy, the wonder and joy you'd expect from a genre that speaks to the heart. Tristan learns he is no mere shop-boy, the star discovers love, and a ferocious witch meets her fate. If you haven't seen Stardust, it's worth a watch; if you have, it will be a tremendous rewatch.