Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets - movie review
Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets
Plot: 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.
Cast: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen
Director: Luc Besson
Certificate: 12A (moderate violence, sex references, language)
Runtime: 2hrs 17 mins
Release Date: Wednesday 2nd August 2017
"Welcome to Alpha, the city of a thousand planets" is a line that greets you in the trailer for Valerian. What they didn't tell you is that this film also welcomes those watching it to the biggest mind trip in recent cinematic history. Luc Besson has taken on a near impossible task with this adaptation of a ground-breaking set of graphic novels. The Valerian series was initially published back in 1967 setting the groundwork for what we know sci-fi to be. It inspired numerous science fiction classics like Star Wars, Blade Runner and many more. Any sci-fi addicts would probably already be aware of the existence of Valerian so is likely to be on tenterhooks to see how, in no uncertain terms, the basis for all modern day sci-fi fares in today's day and age. Visually speaking, this is everything I envisioned an adaptation of Valerian to be. As for everything else, well, that's where we reach rocky territory.
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| Next week on Gold Divers 2955... |
Being the sci-fi fanatic that I am, I was fairly familiar with the Valerian lore having seen a fair few stalls whenever I venture to a comic con but I had also done my research prior to seeing this film by reading one of the novels. I have to say, whilst it wasn't my cup of tea as far as graphic novels are concerned, the appeal to see how Besson could even begin to transfer all of this extensive material from page to screen was anticipatory in itself. That being said, I was swiftly let down as the trailers looked clumsy and packed with CGI porn but not the good kind. Thankfully, Besson and his visual crew must have been listening to me and managed to make the adjustments. My advice is to see Valerian on the big screen while you can because if you wait until the Blu-ray release, the sensation as you experience the visual splendour will be unquestionably disappointing. Easily, Valerian is unlike any sci-fi film ever made. The creativity is the films greatest quality. Obviously, Besson had some experience in bringing complex extra-terrestrial worlds to life in The Fifth Element but Valerian is a huge step beyond that. Many of the characters, visual effects, sets and props are so intricately designed, I'd put my life savings on the fact that there will never be a film that can replicate the complexity of Besson's Valerian. It is a film that very few directors could make and the fact that Besson has the imagination and skill to bring Valerian and his multitude of planets, aliens and weaponry to life is a testament to his proficiency as a director. I do still hold him in contempt for making Lucy but Valerian is a huge step to Besson proving himself to be on the road to recovery.
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| I've...I've...I've suddenly lost my train of thought... |
Some of my favourite moments of Valerian are when Besson's creativity is running wild and we are bearing witness to the sequences that I didn't even think were conceivable from the human brain let alone filmable. From a planet in which, on surface level is a barren wasteland but as soon as you put on a headset you are transported into an intergalactic market, to a species of alien that seem to defy gender and use a cross between a hedgehog and reptile to poop pearls, no one can leave Valerian denying that it isn't wholly original. If they're claiming that they've seen films like that before, I want to know what drugs they're on and where I can get some. Not for me though. I'm asking for a friend... The other aspect that Besson excels in achieving is the idea of scope. The title really isn't lying to you when it feels like a thousand planets have been crammed into one space. Each and every design for the variety of alien species is extravagant and detailed to the point where I'd be interested in a feature length documentary as to how Besson even managed to film this. The opening sequence alone, as we see how Earth has progressed and witness the creation of Alpha, is among some of the most daring pieces of science fiction to grace the big screen. The action is also thrilling and well realised. There is a tendency to make large scale CGI battle scenes and aerial combat sequences blend into one gigantic blur resulting in an incomprehensible experience for all. Luckily, Besson makes his action watchable and incredibly original. The fluidity of the camera really adds to the fact that Besson truly cares about the source material and wanting to do it justice. This is clearly a labour of love and not a cheap cash grab.
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| That's one way of making an entrance. |
FACT: There are 200 different alien species in this movie. Luc Besson wrote a 600 page book describing in details all the species. The actors had to read that book prior to filming so they can adjust their acting depending on the species they were interacting with.
On the other side of the equation, Valerian isn't a film that can be fully praised. To sum it up accurately, I can positively say that Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets is a sci-fi film the likes of which we have never seen before. Seen is the operative word here. The visuals make this movie. If those effects weren't as stunning as they are and the creativity wasn't working at 200%, I can guarantee you that my thoughts for this film would be entirely reversed. This is for one simple reason; the script. For a film nearing a bursting point in regards to imagination, the actual story it's wrapped up within in a mess and that's me being kind. Whilst Besson has more than proved himself to be a visual director that can make a film look like a beautiful painting, writing isn't one of his strengths. The script feels like it doesn't even belong alongside such a unique looking film because, and I do mean this wholeheartedly, every single plot point for Valerian is exactly the same as a host of other sci-fi movies. With Valerian and Laureline having an on/off relationship, a possible hierarchy conspiracy involving Clive Owen being sneaky and a race of peaceful indigenous aliens that are being exploited to hide a military cock-up, the script plays out like it was written by someone who has a brilliant imagination but can't put it all together for everything to make sense so just copies plot points he's seen in other movies and hopes the visuals will distract us from how close Besson is bordering on plagiarism with some of his plotlines. I'm sure James Cameron is hovering over the phone to his lawyers as he contemplates how close Besson's realisation of The Pearls are to the Na'vi from Avatar.
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| It's cool having a thousand planets and all but where are the toilets? |
Besson doesn't just struggle with shaping a story to suit the visuals though. He also fails to make a convincing and emotionally pleasant lead in Valerian. Now, Ladies, if you would be so kind as to humour with this hypothetical suggestion; do you like your men to be misogynistic, sexist and just an overall pig that believes the list of women he's bedded is impressive, to be attractive? If your answer is yes then you'll love the character of Valerian but I also think you need to rethink a lot about yourself. Dane DeHaan does what he can with the writing but even he cannot save the fact that Valerian is aggravating and irritating to the point where not even the gob-smacking visuals could keep me happy. It's the way he behaves and treats his partner, Laureline (played surprisingly well by Cara Delevingne), that adds to a general dislike for our supposed hero. Of course, the film treats him as a damaged soul who will eventually find redemption but that only works when your character has a few flaws, not a book's worth of flaws that generate him into being a total douchebag. DeHaan, try as he might, cannot redeem Valerian and as the film progressed, my attachment diminished scene by scene. Laureline is on the opposite side of the spectrum as I thought Delevingne handled her role brilliantly and out-acted her costars. She's left her belly dancing days as Enchantress from Suicide Squad behind and owns this role. Her charisma and likeability really worked for me and, to be fair, would have rather had her been the sole focus instead. Laureline & The City Of A Thousand Planets has a nice ring to it. As for all of the other characters, they are merely serviceable. Clive Owen is doing the bare minimum to get through unscathed and you won't believe what they do with Ethan Hawke. It's definitely...interesting. And as you've most likely seen, Rihanna makes an appearance as Bubble, a shapeshifting alien who makes a living by stripping and pole dancing in various costumes. Look, I'm a guy and I'll enjoy seeing Rihanna dance around in a nurse uniform any day of the week but there comes a point where you have to sit back and laugh as you realise that there is absolutely no point for Rihanna to be in this film in the slightest. Her story amounts to about fifteen minutes of screentime in a storyline that is filler because Besson needed to spend the rest of the budget somehow.
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| Things weren't going too well on the honeymoon. |
Sci-fi fans will appreciate Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets and its significance to the overall genre and they, like myself, will find a lot to love about Valerian. The visuals are captivating and the world building and scale of it all is why I do suggest seeing Valerian. Unfortunately, film fans who will analyse the story and other such elements, myself included, will also find a lot of problems with Besson's script and many of the characters. It seems as if Besson made the visuals first and then clumsily shaped a story for it to fit. It just seems so strange that for a film that is pushing many boundaries for visual effects, the story is so safe and generic. That being said, Luc Besson has made the unfilmable filmable so congratulations to him for that.
My Verdict: 7/10
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