Valerian y la ciudad de los mil planetas

I expected much much more...especially from LB.

So much potential in the story but the actors, dialogs and main characters simply didnt do the job.

It could have been one of the best movies but in the end its nothing....such potential, such visuals, such story...all went down the drain.

Adapted from Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières long-running French sci-fi comics series Valérian And Laureline. Luc Besson creates a stunning visual feast. Besson's attention to detail is immaculate. And that along side the quirky dialog's between Laureline and Valerian are what keep this film afloat. I might be in the minority, but I prefer my films to be lengthy. However in this case, Valerian feels overstuffed trying to add more depth to the story at every turn. This film might have benefited from a shorter run time. The biggest surprise was Laureline(Delevingne), her character is what kept my interest throughout the film and her acting was actually on point. As someone who was skeptical about her casting, I'm glad to be proved wrong. Not saying it's her breakout performance, Just saying she's improving and perhaps she might have a future as an actress. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Grade: B-

Two scrawny kids are presented as two of the best in the military / secret service. A General and a Sergeant, who look more like they would be good at helping you use an app on your phone. Valerian wants to marry Laureline for no apparent reason, and maintains a somewhat bored routine of presumptuous courting throughout

Unfortunately I could not get past this huge miss-casting. It removes any potential tension throughout because as the viewer you feel more capable of whatever task needs to be done by the protagonists

The script is also throwaway, full of obvious plot developments and overused dialogue

What brings the rating up to a 5 is that the visuals are both very creative and abundant. There are enough fantastical monsters, weapons, architecture, worlds, space ships etc to fill a trilogy

If only Luc Besson had got a script writer and cast as good as he did for Fifth Element, he'd have another cult classic.

When I heard Luc Besson was going to work on a space opera, I immediately hoped it would be like "The Fifth Element" but with a little bit more complexity that would turn into a franchise. Unfortunately, I was mislead by my own hopes and expectations.

For an international French movie, "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" is a very ambitious project that was covered by an astonishing $200 million budget. Certainly, it has Luc Besson attached to write and direct and it is based on a famous long-running French comic-book series, so how can it go wrong? Well, many elements added to this dull but persistent aching after watching the whole film.

First of all, 6/10 is a high rating for it, but to my reason it had stunning visual effects for a non-Hollywood or British movie and that is a remarkable thing to accomplish. It's not always easy to face-up against giants when it comes to the CGI business. Secondly, you could sense Besson's sci-fi additions with many quirky technological advancements in terms of guns or gadgets and small things like that make a true science-fiction film to me.

"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" stars Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as two Special operatives who must stop evil-doers from destroying Alpha, the city of a thousand planets, and uncover the truth behind the extinction of an alien race. Right off the bat you could tell that the chemistry between DeHaan and Delevingne didn't exist and it stayed that way until the end of the picture. I personally think that Dane DeHaan has potential, but it was clear that this set was not suitable for him. The casting really missed this one. The script didn't help either, at times making me question how some parts of the dialogue were ever spoken out loud. With the right casting and script this movie could have been worth something.

This concludes another recent attempt at the space opera genre, after The Wachowskis' "Jupiter Ascending", and it turns out that a space opera needs time and preparation to do it right and not rush development.

Most reviews have referred to the lead actress in physical terms...she is hot, but a horrible actress, in fact the acting was about B movie level overall...with the exception of Clive Owen.