Valerian (Luc Besson, 2017)

I really tried to love this film.


First of all this could have been the most important science-fiction
film ever made due to both the passion for the source material by the
film's director, as well as how the source material itself is of
importance to the world of science-fiction. Strictly visually speaking,
so much of what we take for granted in more modern sci-fi material like
Star Wars for example, is lifted (stolen?) from the original Valerian
designs. The original serial comic strip appeared as a two-page weekly
in the pages of European "Pilote" magazine back in the late 60s. Those
2-page serials were collected in story books as "BD" (Bande Dessinée)
or graphic novels, and of course captured the imagination of millions
who could read french.


Luc Besson has often said that as soon as he wanted to make movies, he
wanted to bring Valerian to the big screen. Even his "Fifth Element"
could be seen as a trial version to see if he could create an entire
universe onto itself and have a story developed and working in a film
format. Besson's name is often attached to films in which he produces
and writes, and even though he remains too "european" for the majority
of the north American audience, it seems many already knew his name as
an established writer and film maker.


Valerian opens up with an absolutely incredible visual prologue which
also mixes in subtly the opening credits. These first 5 or so minutes
is what can only be described as a superb spectacle. In fact it seems
be too good to be true and already sets the film's background without
any dialogue. But things begin to go South soon afterwards,
unfortunately, and even if I do let many things slide in terms of
science fiction, in this case it ended falling a bit too flat even
though the imagination in the creation of the universe in itself is
among-st the best seen in modern cinema.


I essentially have two major gripes with the film, which I again repeat
I so desperately tried to overlook throughout the entire film:


1) The Leads: While it is no surprise that in order to make any film
work in Hollywood and the major CGI laden blockbusters you need younger
and younger leads, Dane (Valerian) and Cara (Laureline) had no
chemistry between each other and no on-screen charisma either. Dane
sounds like Keannu Reeves and looks 24 years old, and his character is
self-centered, aloof, and barely two-dimensional. Cara also looks like
she's barely out of high school, is thinner than most anorexic botoxed
Hollywood starlets, and plays her character pouting and angry for the
majority of the film. OK so maybe this is what Besson or studio
meddlings wanted and were pushing for, but the result was not Valerian
and Laureline. Instead it seems as though we have these two constantly
arguing teenagers which people took too seriously throughout the film.
Again, Hollywood-oblige requires younger and younger leads in their
films to attract the target audience of moviegoers, but in most cases,
it often ends up in questionable casting choices. I am not saying Dane
or Cara were bad actors, but maybe this was not a project for them.


2- The Story. Well what do you know, a Hollywood blockbuster with a
re-reheated plot overly simplified for the dumbed down American
audience, with the audacity of repeating and rephrasing in case you
missed what the characters just explained 20 seconds earlier. Maybe I
am wrong but I thought science fiction buffs are supposed to be able to
easily handle fictional characters, situations, creatures, worlds and
such, and don't need their stories re-explained to them at every turn.
Maybe it was studio meddling, maybe it was too many re-writes and
re-shoots, and maybe it was just because it was aimed at the
international (USA America) market, but it featured uninspired
dialogue, predictable twists and turns, and none of the smart or witty
script writing we would have expected from Luc Besson. In fact, none of
this remotely feels like Luc Besson at all, and the result seems to be
a by-the-numbers formulae which in the end feels like it just falls
flat and short.


Maybe there was just too many expectations riding on this one (my wife
and I are fans of both the source material and Besson's work) and maybe
there was too much pressure to deliver a product which could be easily
consumed by the masses (as all mega-budgeted blockbusters are), but
this one falls into that "The Thing 2011 PrequelSequelRemakeWhatever"
category (*). If it was not a Besson film and not a Valerian film, then
it would have been a highly fun ride in a wonderful science fiction
universe. I tried desperately to love this film, overlooking the issues
described above but in the end, I am very sorry to admit I was
disappointed.


(*): The Thing 2011 syndrome: it wasn't necessarily a "bad" film but
since it was attached to a classic with a deep-rooted cult following,
the result becomes less impactful or important due to its association.
If The Thing 2011 would have been its stand alone CGI monster fest, it
would have worked well, but by commercializing and CGI-ing and
modernizing the classic for today's audiences, the product basically
fails.