Sometimes a score comes along that makes a critic's life easy. With its effortless flow and charming feel, "Stardust" is such a score.

Ilan Eshkeri is the Composer behind "Stardust" and he handled this project like a seasoned veteran. With so many rampant and colorful story themes set loose in the picture, it must have been challenging to get a handle on it all. Indeed, capturing a film's tone is critical, especially for a fantasy film, and that's what Eshkeri was able to do with great success.

When first listening to "Stardust," my early impressions harkened back to the type of magical music I heard in the 80's when there was a bit more wonderment attached to film scores. Honestly, from the first few seconds on, I was held captive by Eshkeri's work.

The score itself offers many entertaining passages, from the first entry into Stormhold all the way through to the Coronation sequence. The way the underscore was written to accompany the journey also indicated a great sense of maturity on Eshkeri's cinematic timing. You see, in the modern age of film composing, many times the listener is bashed atop the head with over-the-top themes in a film like this and such a direction proves to be a great detriment. In "Stardust," there was just the right balance between underscore and themes, making this a listening experience that will have a great replay value.

This soundtrack offers multiple highlights but one of the finer segments is the training montage sequence where the hero Tristan, and the star, Yvaine, are atop the sky pirate's ship, learning etiquette and swordplay from their new mentor. The music guides this sequence along with zest and makes for very nice thematic fare.

In other moments of the score, you'll be treated to some classic confrontational music for scenes that depict the evil witch and her sisters. Conversely, during the moments of chase and motion, specifically during the quest of the dark prince, a faster pace ensues to accompany the movement and it's fairly intense. Last, and certainly not least, there is also a sweet love theme that can be considered the main theme of the score, and the innocence of it is effective.

By the time you've reached the album's conclusion at the regal and heroic "Coronation," I think you will be ready for another listen of "Stardust." It's a score that fits the movie perfectly and translates just as effectively when it's heard on its own. For those who complained about the type of fare we've heard thus far in the summer of 2007, than this is the score you've been waiting for.

Oh, and P.S. - go see the movie too.