Valerian & the City of a Thousand Planets
I want to start off by saying Luc Besson is one of my favorite directors. I can watch The Professional or The Fifth Element all day long. When I saw he was directing Valerian, my heart skipped. The trailers were stunning and they just made me so anxious for the film to come out, which is I suppose their point.
But I think it was too much. I set the bar much higher than the film was ready to go. I understood early on in the viewing that this was not the film I was expecting it to be, and tried to sort of reverse course and view it for what it was. I don't think I succeeded. I will need to watch it again, and knowing what I know now, hopefully I can find the film stands on its own merits.
So let's discuss those merits. The film is still visually stunning. The little creature that's at the center of the story is so adorable, I can't wait till CGI develops to the point that I can have one of my own (oh, it's coming...just wait). The plot is relevant, and the story is good. That's the pros. Are they enough to outweigh the cons?
While I admit to my part in the mild disappointment I feel, I am reluctant to take all the blame. Unfortunately, like a lot of films these days, most of the good parts were in the trailers. While my expectations were high, I think one of the biggest disappointments I feel is in the acting. I don't really think any of Besson's film previously have been miscast. Gary Oldman as the villain in both The Professional and The Fifth Element was deliciously over the top in a way only Oldman can do, walking the precarious line between just right and too much. While the bad guy in this was probably the best actor of the bunch, he didn't have the chops that Oldman has, and even though I enjoyed the performance, it just came off as lackluster.
My biggest gripe though are the main characters. I saw Dane DeHaan in A Cure for Wellness, which I wrote about in another blog post, and I felt his performance there was very good. I know I've probably seen Cara Delavingne in something, but I can't remember what, so I can't tell you what I thought of her performance there. Here though, there just seems to be a decide lack of chemistry between the two. Valerian wants to get in Laureline's jumpsuit, but all his professions of love seem half-hearted. Laureline is just constantly annoyed with Valerian, pretty much through the whole movie, and the only reason we're given is because he forgot her birthday. Well that and he's a bit of a man-whore, but whatevs. Is that really enough to sustain the romantic tension through a two hour film? No. No, it is not. The charm and wit of The Fifth Element is not here.
I keep going back to that. And that is a disservice to myself and Valerian. This is not The Fifth Element. But, oh how it could have been. So I will check it out again when it becomes rentable. I will lower the bar. I will try to be objective. But right now, it's just a massive misstep.
But I think it was too much. I set the bar much higher than the film was ready to go. I understood early on in the viewing that this was not the film I was expecting it to be, and tried to sort of reverse course and view it for what it was. I don't think I succeeded. I will need to watch it again, and knowing what I know now, hopefully I can find the film stands on its own merits.
So let's discuss those merits. The film is still visually stunning. The little creature that's at the center of the story is so adorable, I can't wait till CGI develops to the point that I can have one of my own (oh, it's coming...just wait). The plot is relevant, and the story is good. That's the pros. Are they enough to outweigh the cons?
While I admit to my part in the mild disappointment I feel, I am reluctant to take all the blame. Unfortunately, like a lot of films these days, most of the good parts were in the trailers. While my expectations were high, I think one of the biggest disappointments I feel is in the acting. I don't really think any of Besson's film previously have been miscast. Gary Oldman as the villain in both The Professional and The Fifth Element was deliciously over the top in a way only Oldman can do, walking the precarious line between just right and too much. While the bad guy in this was probably the best actor of the bunch, he didn't have the chops that Oldman has, and even though I enjoyed the performance, it just came off as lackluster.
My biggest gripe though are the main characters. I saw Dane DeHaan in A Cure for Wellness, which I wrote about in another blog post, and I felt his performance there was very good. I know I've probably seen Cara Delavingne in something, but I can't remember what, so I can't tell you what I thought of her performance there. Here though, there just seems to be a decide lack of chemistry between the two. Valerian wants to get in Laureline's jumpsuit, but all his professions of love seem half-hearted. Laureline is just constantly annoyed with Valerian, pretty much through the whole movie, and the only reason we're given is because he forgot her birthday. Well that and he's a bit of a man-whore, but whatevs. Is that really enough to sustain the romantic tension through a two hour film? No. No, it is not. The charm and wit of The Fifth Element is not here.
I keep going back to that. And that is a disservice to myself and Valerian. This is not The Fifth Element. But, oh how it could have been. So I will check it out again when it becomes rentable. I will lower the bar. I will try to be objective. But right now, it's just a massive misstep.
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