Rarely has a film had so much colour that you wonder if the last thing you consumed was spiked with something. Psychedelia gets new meaning in Luc Besson’s epic space opus, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets . This fact is evident right from one look at the initial promos of the space adventure.
Besson was the primary fundraiser for the film, which gave him absolute creative liberty on the project. Based on the comic book series Valérian and Laureline — written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières — Besson’s film touted to be most expensive independent film to be made so far on a reported budget of slightly over $200 million.
- Director: Luc Besson
- Cast: Dane Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, and Rutger Hauer
- Storyline: Agents Valerian and Laureline have been charged with a mission to recover federal property. They soon learn of a grave injustice inflicted upon an alien species and have to save the day.
These are reasons enough to want to see what Besson came up with, hoping for an opera of Star Wars proportions coupled with cinematic brilliance the filmmaker is known for. Indeed, the film pushes the boundaries of technology. There are giant sea creatures, a jelly fish that can feed on memories, an organism that can change forms at will, a multi-dimensional market and several other unthinkable feats. The special effects are extraordinary.
But what use is ornamentation without substance? In the end, Valerian lacks a cohesive narrative. With the tried-and-tested premise of having the protagonists save the day, the film focuses on the planet, Mül, that has been blown into near extinction by evil forces. Agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are on a mission discover the truth about the inhabitants of Mül, which leads them on a laborious journey. They get separated constantly, having to save each other while crawling towards their goal. There are several fights with outlandish weapons, many chase sequences and plenty of wisecracks that fall flat. Plus, unnecessary cameos.
Rihanna plays a shapeshifter Bubble who helps the heroes in their quest to infiltrate enemy lines. But before that, there’s a lengthy over-sexualised cabaret and pole dance that shows off her moves, and her body double’s gymnast-like flexibility. There’s Ethan Hawke too in a ten-minute role as a corrupt pimp channelling Heath Ledger’s Joker from the Batman trilogy.
In a span of an arduous 130-something minutes, we’re taken on a wild and complicated goose chase. Often, it feels as if Valerian purposefully stretched out its duration simply to show off. DeHaan and Delevingne try their hardest but cannot pull off their characters’ romance. The former is supposed to be a slick playboy desperately trying to win his partner’s affections. The latter, a feisty law enforcer with a temper, ends up being too austere with a smart alec skew. It just seems everyone is moving onscreen with the exaggerated effort of dramatising a needlessly complex premise.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is certainly ambitious, even managing to successfully pull off technical feats. But its story and progression are both a huge disappointment.
