Luc Besson hasn’t had a critically acclaimed film in several years. Â His biggest hits, Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element, were in the nineties. Â I did like his writing for Taken, but not the sequels. Â It was only a matter of time before that right project fell into his lap. Â A story and script that suited his style and capabilities. Â Something with action that has off-the-wall characters who make you laugh and support them. Â While Besson may not be firing on all cylinders in terms of execution, he is heading in the right direction with this one.
In Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, it is centuries in the future and a space station known as Alpha has attracted nations from all over the galaxy. Â Beings of different alien species, including humans, live among each other and share knowledge for the betterment of all. Â It is a harmonious time to be alive when an unknown force threatens to destroy the station and its millions of inhabitants. Â Commander Filitt (Clive Owen) has assigned partners Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) to a dangerous mission that may be related to the Alpha situation. Â Only by following their own rules can they hope to stay ahead of the approaching danger.
I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. Â The action combined with the visual effects was a feast for the eyes. Â It may be likened to familiar video games, but that’s part of the charm that attracted me. Â Centuries in the future allows for some great technological advancements. Â Combine that with alien knowledge and you just get a nice ride to Asgard. Â We never see that world, but we see others that are equally interesting. Â Alpha is a world unto itself. Â A hodgepodge of multiple alien civilizations that are applied to a former Earth space station. Â The movie doesn’t just build the world with the environment. Â It builds it with strange and entertaining characters. Â Something Luc Besson is pretty good at creating. Â I particularly loved the three aliens that shared a brain and provided info for the right price. Â They reminded me of Quark, the Ferengi from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, except more lovable.
A big part of this movie that I loved was the music. Â It felt very 80’s science fiction. I was not surprised to find out the movie was scored by one of my favorite composers, Alexandre Desplat. Â There were moments that felt elevated emotionally by his sweeping interludes. Â He also gave the action scenes more dimension. Â He is one of the greats.
One of the problems I did have with the movie was the acting. Â I wasn’t sold on Dane DeHaan at all. Â His performance was monotone and lacked the proper emotional response in most scenes. Â Cara Delevingne was somewhat better than her co-star. Â She reminded me of a cross between Kirstie Alley and Meg Foster. Â The struggle was I think a combination of bad direction and terrible read of the script. Â I can’t really blame her entirely for that because both characters seemed to fit the movie they were in. Â Emotional resonance was just missing from a lot of the movie. Â I was invested near the end though and that’s what counts.
The story is the driving factor in any movie. Â If the script can convey a good story, the acting only needs to be decent. Â We all want everything to be aces, but when parts are lacking you hope the story and the overall execution can get you through to those closing credits. Â The movie has a story that is comparable to a video game. Â It might not tread new ground, but it does make it fun. Â I also know I saw things visually that were familiar, but had a fresh and vibrant spin to them. Â The visuals compliment the action so well that you wished Jupiter Ascending had done better. Â Bad editing does not a good story make. Â I felt the story here took off in the first act and proceeded to become more engaging as we journeyed further into Alpha. Â I might have seen where the movie was going, but at that point, I was hooked and looked forward to the adventure that awaited.
I’ve been asked how this compares to The Fifth Element. Â It’s in the future, has lots of aliens interacting with humans, quirky moments, and a deadly countdown. Â The comparisons stop there because it’s a completely different kind of movie. Â It’s lighter in tone, Chris Tucker notwithstanding, and doesn’t have nearly as much of an emotional impact as that ending with Milla Jovovich and Bruce Willis. Â Still, it intrigues me enough to want to learn more about Alpha and go on more missions with Valerian and Laureline.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a fun movie with moments of visual lunacy brushed up against great action in an alien world. Â The music is brilliant and I enjoyed the comedic moments more than I should have. Â The acting isn’t noteworthy, but the banter between Dehaan and Delevingne works. Â I also found the scenes with Rihanna and Ethan Hawke delightful. Â Clive Owen has done so many of these types of roles, the confident and take-charge kind of guy, his performance is now second nature to him. Â Although there is some melodrama to look out for.
If I had to give my love of this movie a proper explanation, I’d need to bring up the Star Wars prequels. Â Those movies have great visual effects and music, but they have terrible acting, an insufferable script, and they betray the legacy of the characters we’ve grown up loving. Â Now if the prequels were just their own movies and not tied to any previous films, I might be more complimentary toward them. Â I see Valerian this way. Â I don’t find the script that good, and several scenes make me grimace, but I also have no expectations for these characters or their outcome. Â I am unencumbered by any preset standards or prior storylines. Â I can enjoy the adventure and all the craziness that comes with it. Â If you can do the same, you will have a fantastic time at the cinema.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
About Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Synopsis:Â A dark force threatens Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operatives Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.
Director: Luc Besson
Writers: Luc Besson
Stars: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Rutger Hauer
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2 Hours, 17 Minutes