‘Valerian,’ writer/director Luc Besson’s latest sci-fi epic adventure, is without question one of 2017’s most visually impressive films. Dynamic in color, immersive and innovative in execution, the movie’s alien characters, worlds, space ships and gadgets never fail to dazzle.
It’s too bad the actors and the script Besson at the heart of all that digital wizardry are such a letdown. Audiences can try to lose themselves in all the eye candy in the film’s background, but there’s no escaping the lead actors’ stunning lack of chemistry as well as the plot’s all-too-familiar course.
What’s it about?
Dane DeHaan (“A Cure for Wellness”, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”) plays Major Valerian, a cavalier 27th Century interstellar government agent who takes on missions to protect humanity’s territories and interests hundreds of light years from Earth.
At Valerian’s side is Sgt. Laureline (Cara Delevingne, “Suicide Squad”). Equally brave and capable as Valerian while also a good deal smarter and more level-headed, Laureline puts up with Valerian’s constant flirtation and seeming inability to take their missions seriously because one way or the other, they always make it out alive.
The duo’s latest mission challenges them to solve a mystery that threatens “Alpha”, the massive, traveling space station that serves as a hub for government and commerce among the thousands of races that humanity has contacted since it took its first steps away from its homeworld.
But as the two are drawn deeper into the mission, they come to realize the “threat” may be something else entirely, something rooted in an evil committed decades before upon a peaceful race driven almost to extinction. As that evil and the conspiracy to hide it unravels, Valerian and Laureline must decide where their loyalties lie, which side to take, and ultimately what is worth protecting with their lives.
Familiar, but still innovative
“Valerian,” or “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” as its full title goes, draws its inspiration from French comic book serials born in the late 1960s.
Watching the film, fans of Besson’s previous work will easily spot story parallels and repeated visual motifs from his previous sci-fi fan favorite film, “The Fifth Element.” The blend of action and humor found in that film is also attempted here, though it is considerably less successful.
Fans of sci-fi in general may also find parallels to many other seminal works. There are similarities here to everything from classic Buck Rogers stories to “Star Trek” and “Avatar”, but there’s enough re-invention and avoidance of overused tropes and techno-babble to keep the proceedings feeling relatively fresh.
Besson’s vision and ingenuity really shine during the film’s early set pieces and extended action sequences. Arguably, the film’s most innovative and exciting sequence, one involving our heroes on a mission involving interacting with places and objects that exist in another dimension, unfolds in the film’s first hour.
That and the later, much-talked about sequence introducing the character played by pop superstar Rihanna are the brightest spots in a film full of colorful spectacles that at times make “Star Wars” look like “Steamboat Mickey.”
Unfortunately, in and around all that eye candy the actual human performers try to carry the plot forward and end up dragging the whole affair down.
Colorless leads
Besson delivers a tale of planetary politics, intrigue, and swashbuckling derring-do around his adaptation of the characters at the center of those comics – Valerian, the dashing and dedicated soldier, and Laureline, his strong-willed, passionate, and idealistic equal.
The problem is that the actors he cast in those roles, while they may have looked the part in costume and maybe even in screen tests, just can’t sell it when it counts. DeHaan delivers all his lines in a raspy drawl, as though he’s trying to channel Bruce Willis, and he just ends up sounding the way he looks – like a pale, scrawny teen trying to act tough.
As unconvincing as he is, however, Delevingne fares even worse. Her line deliveries are wooden, her chemistry with DeHaan is nonexistent, and she just looks out of her depth through most of the film.
It’s not all her fault, and she’s not the only one hobbled by Besson’s over-the-top, classic space opera-inspired script. Unfortunately, her struggles to deliver the character convincingly stand out more because she gets so much screen time.
Worth seeing?
Add to all that the fact that, as stated earlier, the film’s plot eventually resolves itself in a rather predictable manner and you get a terribly uneven film, one whose lasting legacy may be as reference material to show off high-end TVs and home video products.
Of course, if you go to the movies just wanting escapist thrills and eye candy, then “Valerian” should very easily fit the bill. Again, there’s no denying it’s all gorgeous to look at, and the film’s art department deserves any and all accolades possible for their striking work here.
But if you want characters you can cheer for – or at least just like – and a story that will stay with you long after the credits roll, best set your sights in a galaxy far, far away from this.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Starring Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Herbie Hancock, Ethan Hawke, Kris Wu, with Rihanna, John Goodman and Rutger Hauer. Directed by Luc Besson
Running time: 137 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action, suggestive material and brief language.