I’ll start with the actors. The two main characters, Valerian and Laureline, were played by basically unknowns. At least to me. And I follow pop culture. That, in itself, could be detrimental to this movie. Or not. I actually enjoyed the fact that they weren’t pretty, well-made-up, nearly-perfect Hollywood stars. To be honest, Valerian (Dane Dehaan) was actually nothing too great to look at. He was small and looked like he’d been punched in the eyes one too many times after a night of no sleep. Seriously. The kids’ bags were worse than mine. And I’ve got almost 15 years on him. That, in itself was a shock. I thought the kid was maybe 22. Turns out, he’s over 30. THIRTY? BUT, he had a killer voice. And that voice, my friends, delivered the lines every time. Every. Time. I can tell you this: I think his voice got him the role.
Laureline was played by Cara Delevingne. (Who?) I’ll tell you. She’s a model. (Yes, I’m surprised, because frankly she looked sorta average in this film. That gives her points from me.) Her biggest role before this movie was playing the Enchantress in “The Suicide Squad.” (She didn’t really have an impact, and was so made up, who knew it was her? Not me.) In this film, she appeared to be wearing almost no make up. (I realize she actually did.) She looked…well…normal. (Okay. She was a size 2 and I’d kill for her abs… but still.) She didn’t look like a Barbie doll fighting intergalactic aliens. She looked real. And I appreciated that.
Let’s talk all the other big stars that I had no idea were in this. Clive Owen. Ethan Hawke. John Goodman. Rhianna. The list goes on. I was surprised every time they (or their voice) took the screen. Truly exciting stuff for this geek.
Okay, now I’m gonna talk plot. The nitty-gritty. The story. It was simplistic. A very cut and dry, no-plot-twist-surprises-kind-of-thing. Sorta Meh. However, it was formulaic in its overall sense of what works. Did I want a little more? Sure. Was there a little bit of corniness involved? Definitely. But I kinda like corny. Was there an underlying message that I felt the director/writer wanted to get across? Yes. Did he do it in the most effective manner? Nah. But, it was decent. Truth be told, I’d like to see what was on the cutting room floor. I feel like there were some poignant moments that may not have made it to the silver screen.
Now let’s get to the real essence of the sci-fi-ness that is this movie. The special effects and battles: were they amazing? YES. It was almost entirely shot in front of a blue screen. Did they capture everything a sci-fi film should? Absolutely. Visually, this film was STUNNING. And I mean that. The overall feeling was a cross between the "Fifth Element," and "Avatar." I shamefully admit that I didn’t realize who directed and wrote this film until the end credits. And then it all made sense. Luc Besson. Of Course!
To sum up, I felt the plot worked. If you compared it to films from 10-15 years ago – it would be hallmark. But with today’s creativity in story and film, it was lacking a bit. Predictable. Mediocre. However, as a true sci-fi nerd, it was intergalactic in its visual effects and cinematography. I literally gasped at its opening scenes. If you are a sci-fi fan, I think you’ll appreciate this movie for what it is. But, if you are expecting a killer story and people’s choice award winning film, you will be sorely disappointed.
Overall, an entertaining story with stunning visual effects and classic sci-fi hooks.