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Valerian and the City
of a Thousand Planets is based off the French comic book Valerian and Laureline. Valerian (Dane
Dehaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevigne) are federal agents in a universe that
exists four hundred years in the future. The two agents find themselves
embroiled in a mystery involving an alien race that doesn’t seem to exist and
an enigmatic conspiracy surrounding their planet. Visually, Valerian is stunning. Luc Besson is one
of those directors I think understands science fiction (especially from a
visual standpoint). The visual effects, costumes, makeup, and sets are all
outstanding. Dane Dehaan and Cara Delevigne have pretty solid chemistry
together (even if some of their banter borders on being cheesy). Initially,
Delevigne’s performance worried me a bit. When she first started talking near
the beginning of the movie, she felt stiff and awkward. This made me nervous
because she’s one of the movie’s two leads. Fortunately, she gets better as the
movie progresses. I had some similar issues with Rihanna’s performance. For the
most part the singer is in a role that doesn’t require a whole lot of range. In
those moments, she’s actually pretty vibrant. But, those moments that require
her to venture outside her comfort zone make her look like a deer in
headlights. The opening sequence was something I found interesting. I kind of
went back and forth on whether or not I found it relevant. I’m not sure why the
city of a thousand planets was in the movie’s title. It’s referenced and
traveled to within the movie, yes. However, it isn’t that essential to the plot. Overall Valerian was an enjoyable enough time for a matinee or a rental, at
least if you can overlook some its noticeable flaws.
6 / 10
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