Dazzle MovieStar 5 is an unremarkable and somewhat awkward midrange editing program. It offers some unique transitions but is outstripped by the competition.

MovieStar is based on a three-step editing process: capture, edit, and produce. This method creates a fluid workflow, as editing isn't broken up into multiple stages. But the program's ease of use is hobbled by lousy documentation.

MovieStar's marquee feature, Fast-Kut Multi-Trimmer, supposedly lets you synchronize trims by setting the in and out points on three adjacent clips at once. But it is unintuitive and difficult to use. Cutting clips on the timeline is also awkward; when you switch to the cutting tool, MovieStar sometimes resets the cursor position, forcing you to find your cut point again.

MovieStar has a flexible titling tool, but the transitions and effects aren't as configurable as the titles are. Further restricting creativity, MovieStar supports only one video track, plus titles and transitions. It lets you burn menuless VCDs and post movies to free space on Dazzle's Web site, but you can't burn DVDs.