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Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Valerian


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Valerian is a tough movie to review for me- there is just so much happening. I have a lot of different thoughts, but I think if I had to summarize it would be like this. Valerian is an ambitious, visually stunning movie with a weak story and uninspiring leads, but I'm still glad I saw it because it has heart, especially towards the end. Valerian and Laureline are agents in the 28th century who are called on to investigate strange goings- on in the massive space station Alpha. It's all over the place, with aliens and other planets and like I said amazing visuals. After hearing so much about the visuals, I didn't think they were the greatest thing ever, so don't be jaded about that, but they are pretty good. 

Imagination is on full display here, and even though this movie is based on French comics  you can see that Luc besson, the director, has put his stamp on it as well. Remember The Fifth Element? That was his movie too, and this is like that movie but maybe on steroids? I loved seeing some of the habitats and strange environments they found themselves in. I think a highlight of the movie for me though was the first set piece, a prolonged sequence where the agents must liberate a McGuffin from a nasty crimelord. The twist is that the mission requires them to infiltrate a market that is in another dimension, forcing them to use special glasses to see this other world and interact with it. 

Again this was an amazing (at times) sequence and sets the movie up very well. It's too bad the movie couldn't carry that through the rest of the way. Valerian and Laureline very nonchalantly do their thing, running through an other dimensional market while being chased by all manner of creatures, and it's really cool how they blip in and out. They've clearly done these kinds of things many times, but that leads to one of the problems. Valerian in particular is supposed to be very experienced and badass, but the casting is... bad. 

Dane DeHaan is cast as Valerian and he looks way too young and not nearly physical enough to fill that role. He is portrayed as a bit of a rogue, which is kind of laughable when he's trying to deliver his dialogue. Cara Delavinge is his partner Laureline, and she's much better here. Not exactly an acting clinic, and some of her dialogue made me cringe, but she holds her own and is much more convincing as a badass agent. In fact I rather liked her in this role, she has a wry smartass way about her and puts Valerian in his place quite a bit. With a better co- lead I think Cara Delavinge could have killed it in this role. 

The story is kind of silly too, and Clive Owen seems wasted here as a very one dimensional bad guy. In fact, Clive Owen would have been a better Valerian. But Cara does her thing and there's enough imagination here to make it worth watching, even with the occasional  eye roll. And there are some poignant moments, including a pretty good emotional performance by Rihanna as a shape shifting alien. The three little aliens that wander all over the station selling information were a nice touch also. So this is not a good movie- that would be a stretch- but I still, weirdly, think it's worth a watch if you're an SF fan. 

28 comments:

  1. I don't think I'll be watching this one I'm afraid, as much as I like Clive Owen! I really don't like Cara at all!

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  2. My son really wants to see this. I think the trailer looks amazing.

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  3. I saw the trailer for this and was all in because of the action, but I have a pet peeve about casting that doesn't really make good sense. Same with books. The roles really have to be believable or I'll just slap my forehead in sadness. Now I'm up in the air. Have you ever considered working for a place like Rotten Tomatoes? (lol) You do a really good job of reviewing movies. Hugs...RO

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  4. I'm really looking forward to seeing this one even though I'm not expecting much - if that makes sense.

    I'm just looking for a fun, summer, popcorn movie.

    For What It's Worth

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  5. You're completely right about the casting for Valerian. Dane DeHaan just doesn't exude that badass feeling and doesn't seem that convincing. I'm going to pick this one up on redbox. Great review Greg!

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  6. We almost went and saw this as a family yesterday and then last minute decided to watch Despicable 3 instead. I'm kind of glad we changed our minds. I'm not sure my girls would have loved this.

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  7. Interesting review! I want to watch it, if for nothing else but the visuals. I'll probably enjoy it if I go in with low-ish expectations. I'll wait till it's on Redbox-- even a bad movie is worth a dollar ;)

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  8. I've seen the trailer on TV, and it didn't inspire me much. After reading your thoughts, I know I definitely would not enjoy it.
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts, though, and I'm a new follower via bloglovin!

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  9. I just saw this one and besides the long boring side mission to save Laureline, that was only in the movie so Rihanna could have a role, I found it entertaining. Like you, I hated Dane in the lead. I don't like him as an actor and thought he ruined the movie for me a bit.

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  10. The Fifth Element on steroids???? Oh wow. I'm now expecting something way over the top but fun. I'm curious now. LOL

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  11. I've sort of had my eye on this movie since I saw the trailer a few months ago. It's too bad the plot is weak and the characters uninspiring. I wondered if that would be the case. The trailer was gorgeous (which is why I wanted to see the film) but I didn't really get a strong feel for the characters from it.

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  12. I don't know the graphic novels, but I'm sorry the movie wasn't a huge hit! I actually love Dane DeHaan but it does sound like a role that's not QUITE right for him.

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  13. I've heard not great reviews on this one, but I think I would still want to go see it. Nice review, Greg!
    Deanna Reads Books

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  14. I had to Google this Dane person, which frankly, is a bad sign in itself. I am not shocked to hear he wasn't great. OH! Google has told me he is from near where I live. FUN! I mean, except for the part where he sucks. I am not a huge fan of Cara, but I do think she has been improving as an actress, so that's nice. I like the idea of the strange environments but.. Idk if it would be enough to hold my interest. Plus I am just awful at movies in general haha. But I am glad that it had redeemable parts for you, and was worth watching! Great review :)

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  15. I admit, I'll probably watch this for Clive Owen alone. Your review confirmed pretty much everything I would expect of a movie like this though, but I am a sci-fi fan and I'm going to watch this - maybe wait for rental though.

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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  16. I seen commercials for this movie, but never paid much attention to it. I think I've wait to rent it.

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  17. Ah yes everyone is peaking about this one. Yesterday a friend of mine told me he was a bit broke because of this movie so I hope it will work well

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  18. Other than the tv commercials, I haven't heard anything about this movie! I would have thought there would have been more promotion. This is probably something we'll end up watching on Netflix eventually.

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  19. I was at the cinema last week for Dunkirk and saw the trailer for this one - it looks quite spectacular in terms of special effects but I'm not sure I really fancy seeing it and it does seem to have had some negative reviews. I guess I will watch it but maybe not on the big screen.
    Lynn :D

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  20. Hmm.. I'm not sure about this movie. But I loved the trailer. Maybe I'll see it one day when it's on TV.

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  21. I've seen the trailer for this one but while it looked gorgeous I couldn't really tell what it was about. It does sound like a story with a lot of potential with a weak execution. I do want to see it though so hopefully it'll come on HBO soon.

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  22. Hmmm so keep expectations low. lol But still sounds like a decent time killer :)

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  23. I've been wondering about this movie! I did like The Fifth Element, but your review makes it sound like it's more of a nice if I get around to it, but not a must see movie. I would like to see the visuals though! Thanks for the review. :)

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  24. Sorry you didn't like this one so much! I kind of want to see it but I'm definitely not running to the theater to do so lol. I'll keep my expectations low when I do see it, though. Great review!

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  25. I watched a trailer and when it said based on a loved comic, I did stop and think why have I never heard of Valerian before... Fifth Element on steroids, I love that description.

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  26. Thanks for your review. It has helped me decide to wait for the DVD version although I will miss out on the big screen visuals.

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  27. I had a feeling this movie was going to end up the way that it did. It seemed way too over ambitious for a 2 hr movie. The concept of a thousand planets, space agents, evil, etc just seemed like too many plot points to make it a concrete and cohesive storyline. Just watching the trailer alone I had concerns about the casting of Valerian. He definitely did not seem super badass too me. DeHaan looks and acts too sweetly to pull that off. Oh well. I'll probably rent it on RedBox or something once it comes out just because I'm curious but I don't think I'll pay to see it in theaters. Thanks for the review!

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