Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Starring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, Rutger Hauer, Elizabeth Debicki (voice), John Goodman (voice)
Directed by: Luc Besson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two agents (Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne) must unravel a conspiracy that threatens to disturb peace throughout the galaxy.

Review:

Tim: If Luc Besson directs a sci-fi movie, I'm automatically there. My hope would always be the same- that he is able to capture some of the magic that made The Fifth Element one of the best science fiction films of all time. With Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, we may occasionally gets glimmers of that, but it doesn't otherwise get close. This is a perfectly good sci-fi film. I enjoyed it. I was hoping for something better, to be completely candid.

I have to say that this movie was better than it looked. The trailers looked like the movie overly relied on special effects. While that might be the case, the movie itself has a fairly compelling story, so the visual effects never feel like they totally dominate. They always serve the story. Now, to be fair, the movie could have used less reliance on CGI. It's a big problem when you create these worlds that exist only in a computer screen- no matter how cutting edge the software might be, it doesn't look real. It's too glossy, too stylized. It doesn't feel believable. That hurts this movie on multiple occasions. That's not to suggest the visual effects aren't impressive- they absolutely are. It's just a bit too much, too removed from reality.

I liked the casting of Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne in the lead roles. DeHaan was an interesting choice, as he usually plays much darker characters. I actually liked him in this role, though. He brought just a hint of danger to the role. He worked well as Valerian and gave a strong performance. Now, I've criticized Delevingne in the past (most memorably for her awful performance in Suicide Squad). I liked her a lot better here. She might never be a great actress, but her performance was solid. She worked well with DeHaan, but more importantly, made Laureline a strong, entertaining character in her own right. I wish she had a little more to do, but her performance certainly made the movie better. Clive Owen was mostly wasted in a small supporting role. Rihanna did better than expected, but she's not an actress and that shows. Ethan Hawke was fun in his small role- he gives a good performance and I wish he had even more screen time. Despite the hit-or-miss supporting cast, this movie is all about DeHaan and Delevingne and they don't disappoint.

While the story felt fresh and entertaining, it did feel like there was a bit too much put into the film. The movie feels far too long at 2 hours, 17 minutes. It really need to clock in much closer to two hours (or a little under). Besson might have been going for the space epic feel, but the film could have used a little more focus. Still, there's lots of characters, a few interesting subplots- there's just a lot in this movie. Besson directs some good action sequences and this is a pretty fun ride.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is never going to be mistook for a classic science fiction film. It's too lightweight for that. However, that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. It might not have the staying power and it might be a bit too forgettable, but this is still an enjoyable film. I walked away wishing it was more, but still pretty pleased with what it was.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Fifth Element