Stardust is better than its unfortunate title or hackneyed Hollywood trailer might augur. Character development was fairly shallow, (view spoiler)[which led to a bit of insta-love in the ultimate disappointing pairing of Yvaine and Triastain (hide spoiler)] but the little twists and turns were fun, and only a little predictable. It was recently made evident to me how dreary and plodding quest narratives can be, but Stardust managed to avoid this hazard. Also, Gaiman charmingly integrated various nursery rhyme elements, and had moments of delightful insight ("Sometimes I wonder if she transforms people into animals, or whether she finds the beast inside us, and frees it") and wit ("'There is a proverbial saying chiefly concerned with warning against too closely calculating the numerical value of unhatched chicks,' pointed out Quintus"). I enjoyed the convention of naming all the brothers according to their chronological birth order, and their occasional role as choric commentators. I think it was this wit and interest that prevented the quest narrative from becoming monotonous--that and the sly way many of the villains were the means of their own undoing. 
 Overall, the conclusion was the weakest part; I wonder if Gaiman became bored with his own novel? Or was he unwilling to let it go, and thus endeavored to draw it out? In any case, I was beguiled and will look out for his work in the future... 
 P.S. Having read several other reviews, have a couple more responses: 1) am slightly inclined to give the movie a try despite unpromising sensational trailer; and 2) must concede that Tristan's flaws and the insta-love element also evoke troubling elements of rape culture, that really are too seldom called-out.