In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.
In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.
Valerian marks the most ambitious independent film yet brought to the big screen. A passion project for
the director, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets gives life to the French comic book series. Yet
despite the passion clearly dedicated to the film, it lacks the depth to truly pass that passion on to the
viewer.
This live action rendition of the French comic centers on the intergalactic special agents Valerian and
Laureline as they combat sexual tension and investigate the impending doom of a giant space station. As
they work to protect the station against a growing radioactive zone that has killed everyone that has
attempted to investigate it before them, it becomes apparent that their mission isn’t exactly as it seems.
Discovering a species from a planet thought to have been destroyed, they begin to realize that they are
pawns in a sinister ploy.
The universe explored in Valerian is truly stunning and awe-inspiring. Despite CGI that will likely seem
outdated in just a few years, it manages to build color, life, and a mood through its environment that is
sure to have much more staying power than the graphics that create the universe. Valerian manages to
establish a world that is imaginative, fresh, and leaves the viewer curious for what more it has to offer.
The creativity dedicated to building a full-fledged world truly shines throughout the entire film.
Yet as superb as the environment is, it only ends up begging for better character and plot development
to truly make the world shine. The dialogue in the film truly fell short and made it difficult to care about
what our characters were going through. Moments that were meant to make the audience laugh or cry
fell flat leaving the film as an upbeat but extremely bland experience. The film makes the age-old
mistake of failing to “show not tell”. The characters motives and personalities are explained in list form
during the first five minutes of their introduction rather than allowing us to discover who these
characters are ourselves. Additionally, the leads were one-dimensional and predictable meaning that a
majority of their interactions were superficial and disappointing. The storyline was interesting enough at
its core, but it lacked the characters to sell its environment and its plot. The horrible shoehorned cameo
from Rihanna only served to further confuse the story and highlights many of the films problems.
Despite its flaws (of which there are many), a part of me still truly wants to like Valerian. It is gorgeous
and imaginative and it truly left me wanting to see more set in the universe. The sad truth is that the
characters and the plot get lost as an afterthought behind its setting. Valerian is just good enough when
it could have been a breakout success.
Get ready to see a movie that is very visually appealing. Valerian stops at nothing to put your mind in a different world that you will be taken out of your seat and put into one of the planets you will be watching on screen.
Are there cheesy parts in the movie, of course. This movie is filled with so much cheese that it ends up tasting good, and you actually want more cheese.
The only issue I had was the characters in the movie, including Valerian himself. They seemed like children to me. Like they were really young and in a word, weak, that it seemed hard for me to believe they could beat an adult. A character that is more aged, or even larger in frame size. Valerian seemed like he would be too under framed to be able to take on a mission this big.
Of course this movie had way more ups. The comedy in this movie seemed to be something that you actually want to laugh at. It was of a higher nature.
Now don't get me started on Ethan Hawke or Rihanna. The issue was Ethan Hawke wasn't in the movie enough and Rihanna was so funny, and good that she needed more screen time too. The part with Rihanna doing her changes dance was so good that I might need to find that on Youtube and see if I can watch it 100 times over again. If you find it on Youtube, comment it below. I must see it.
If you get a chance to watch this movie, do it. Don't be turned off because it's sci-fi, or because you are afraid you won't understand whats going on the screen.
