Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Even if I didn't know the name of the director, I would quickly guess that the project has something to do with the king of French commercial production, Luc Besson. His cinematic thinking and value scale are clearly reflected in the film. He has always advocated that a film should be a spectacle and represent an escape from mundane and sometimes unpleasant reality into the world of fantasy and adventure. The technical and visual aspects usually overshadowed the story, and that was also evident in Valerian. Besson managed Valerian better as a comic adaptation than The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, but I can't give him a higher rating because his film is aimed at a completely different audience or rather a different age category. I would have enjoyed Valerian at the age of 14, but now it bypasses me completely. Besson is showing himself here as a megalomaniac, and I have a feeling that lately, he's losing his sense of moderation and a nose for commercially successful projects. It works in terms of its little details, but as a whole, it's naïve, print-like, and overdone. If there is a reason for a man to watch Valerian, then it is the presence of Cara Delevingne in the lead female role. If I were 15, I would have her poster above my bed, and at 20, I would dream of going on a date with her. She has undeniable charm, the grace of a model, a decent acting range, and the energy of youth. She fits perfectly into a comic blockbuster. Overall impression: 40%. (12/24/2020)

When it comes to this film, I agree with the rest of the reviews here. Luc Besson has decided to shoot an epic sci-fi, which he managed perfectly on the visual side. However, the acting and the storyline are a complete fiasco. While it is evident that he holds the original fairytale in great regard and it must have taken him a lot of work to think up all the locations digitally, but what’s the use of it when the leading roles are portrayed by actors who are as plastic as Barbie and Ken. Truly a portrayal of humans in the most glamorous way. Add in the unconvincing story, which bores more than it entertains, and all that is left is to enjoy the colorful imagery, as the creators of the digital effects spared no expense on colors. It’s a shame that what usually bothers me about digital image the most is the digital itself, which in this film crosses all boundaries. I guess I am old-fashioned. So, when it comes to sci-fi films by Luc Besson, The Fifth Element undisputedly wins, as there is really no comparison. I’ve said it many times already, but action actors of the likes of Bruce Willis in the nineties are not born nowadays. Or they do not get good enough screenplays. (07/25/2018)

Valerian is beautiful proof that Besson is a top craftsman who can work with visual effects as well as James Cameron, but unfortunately only a mediocre storyteller; or rather, a filmmaker who wants to please everyone and is too wrapped up in his own creation. How else to explain that such a simple plot is stretched to 130 minutes and instead of working on the supporting characters and creating a coherent structure, the script repeatedly flounders in dead ends and lets us get to know only the two title characters. Fortunately, it all looks breathtaking, the sophistication of the various settings is perhaps richer than in any SW, some scenes are truly epic, and the whole thing is surprisingly dominated by the mesmerizing Cara Delevingne, who oozes charisma and I don't have to explain how difficult it would be to play alongside her in a tight jumpsuit or, heaven forbid, just a pair of shorts (in this respect, one must also admire the otherwise traditionally bland DeHaan). I'd love to see this made by Cameron, who would add drama, more epicness and maybe even Arnold... Rihanna's cameo is great, though completely irrelevant to the story (as are many other elements). 65% (12/26/2017)

After its very promising start followed by playful adventures that sometimes add nothing to the plot (product placement by Hawke and Rihanna targeted at American audiences), Valerian ends just in the way you’ve been expecting since about the midpoint of the movie, without any effort to freshen up all the genre clichés. It seems like Luc Besson used up all of his imagination on monsters, set designs and visual details that are pleasant to see, but he didn’t care whether the viewer would remember anything after his spectacle is over. The only thing I remember is Cara Delevingne, which is thanks to her performance and the work of her costume designer. And does a director with Besson’s reputation really need to have it explained to him that Clive Owen is a bad fit for this type of villain and that the film would have greatly benefited if Owen switched characters with Sam Spruell? (07/18/2017)

Deeply disappointing and one of Luc Besson's worst films. The film has only two good things: the beautiful model-lesbian Cara Delevingne and the excellent five minute performance by Rihanna, which is very little for the most expensive European science fiction flick. The effects are too colourful and fabulous for my taste, there is very little action and above all it is uninteresting, the pace is incredibly slow, the two hours in the cinema dragged unbelievably, somewhere in the middle of the film I looked at my watch and planned my escape, I just couldn't stand another hour, well I did stay in the end, but this just didn't work. It's just not a good movie. 35%. (08/20/2017)