Here’s a good moviegoing rule: Never pay attention to trailers.

I used to love watching trailers. Whether devouring them from the back seat when my family went to the drive-in or at a posh downtown theater on a movie’s opening night (back when such things were a big deal), I’d enjoy watching scenes from movies that would open over the next few weeks.

But too many times these days the trailers either give away way too much of the film, or they give a skewed feel for what to expect. A good example of the latter is “Stardust,” which I finally dragged myself to yesterday.

Based on the trailer, I’d expected to see another badly conceived child’s fantasy with American actors – in this case Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro – trying desperately to keep up with better trained Brits.

First of all, the film is more of an adult fantasy involving the meaning of true love. And while it’s nowhere near as dramatically nor comedically fulfilling as, say, “The Princess Bride,” which has similar plot aims, it’s a whole lot more effective at conveying genuine emotion that most all of the kiddie fantasies that have been thrown at us over the past few years – and that includes, despite their other virtues, all of the “Harry Potter” movies.

Second, the Americans hold their own. Danes, in particular, affects the best English-sounding accent since Gwyneth Paltrow in “Sliding Doors.” And De Niro, whose character is sitting on a pretty fey secret, isn’t nearly as flamboyant as, say, Robin Williams would have been. Which is good.

All in all, the movie is a solid three stars. The trailer, though? One star at the most.

Below: American actress Claire Danes holds her own with British movie star Charlie Cox in the romantic fantasy “Stardust.”

Associated Press

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