Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

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%. (20/08/2017)

An entertaining comic book movie with no greater ambitions. Visually unbelievably well made, maybe on a par with Avatar. It’s a bit over-long, but there is lots to look at. Fantastic music, fantastic Cara. P.S.: You can see the influence of the original Star Wars, but it certainly doesn’t seem like a copy at all. (11/11/2017)

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%. (24/12/2020)

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. (25/07/2018)

It warms the heart when one sees how Luc Besson's Valerian is for him the true First Element. I may not know the comic book, but the respect for the material and the almost childlike nurturing of everything related to its world brought a smile to my face more than once. Unfortunately, what is being nurtured is not something that can be called old-fashioned, but just outdated. Considering the year of the source material, it's unfair to criticize that we have already seen something similar countless times, but unfortunately, there are no plot twists happening in Alpha. I am also really sorry about that, because the rumors about this having the best visuals of the last decade were not wrong. Every flight, jump, or water trip takes your breath away with every pixel and erases yet another imaginary boundary of digital effects. The fact that this happens in several casually patched episodes that awkwardly drag along the central mundane plot is unfortunately just one big sigh. At the expense of the visual aspect, character development suffers as well, because the central Valerian's apparent task is only to deliver annoying lines and occasional action escapades. Dane DeHaan's unique face even tantalizes antiheroes, but cruelly fails in this case. Cara Delevingne effortlessly rises to the top, and it is perhaps thanks to her natural Laureline that she has moved on to starring roles written for her. (21/07/2017)