The premiere of the new magnificent designer movie masterpiece from Luc Besson, created in the genre of space opera, took place in 2017. The film “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” is cited by moviegoers as the realization of the youthful dream of the illustrious French visionary, in which Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Rihanna and Rutger Hauer helped him.
Fairy-tale dystopia
This is the most expensive blockbuster in the history of the European film industry (the budget of the tape is $ 177.2 million), directed by a world-famous director. The Rutger Hauer cameo starts off successfully, each subsequent episode striking the imagination of the beholder on a grand scale. The screen version of the comics was supposed to be released much earlier, but production was suspended due to the premiere of Avatar by James Cameron. The project not only collected all the cream, but also forced Besson to make adjustments to the script in order to prudently avoid accusations of plagiarism. Despite the caution of the author of the film “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”, the audience’s reviews still compare the film with Cameron’s brainchild.
Besson's work was to chart a new high point for the filmmaker and refresh his iconic status. Perhaps that is why the film is an outstanding mixture of images, devoid of plot logic according to the old Besson tradition. The picture has an IMDb rating of 6.70 and conflicting assessments by film industry experts. Nevertheless, with all its shortcomings, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”, expert reviews recommend viewing, focusing on the fact that in general it is a bright, dynamic, boring and incredibly spectacular movie.
Briefly about the storyline
The script of the tape is based on the most popular comics by Jean-Claude Meziere and Pierre Kristen, which have been exciting the public’s imagination since 1967.
The action takes place in the XXVIII century. The main characters - the best special agents Valerian (actor Dane DeHaan) and Lorelin (ex-model Cara Delevingne) - receive another task, according to which legend thousands of planetoids Alfu are sent to the city, where they manage to coexist countless cosmic races and nationalities. Recently, a mysterious radioactive zone has been discovered there, constantly increasing in size. Its liquidation is entrusted to agents by the leadership in the person of the general (Clive Owen).
The storyline of the blockbuster "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" (2017) received critical reviews from film critics. Some film experts point out the apparent differences between the narrative and the source, characterizing the picture not as an adaptation of the comic books by Meziere and Kristen, but as an independent project created based on their motives.
Idealism and authoritarianism of the author
The grandiose visualization of the tape was one of the reasons for criticism of foreign journalists who accused the film of having suppressed the content. “Valerian and the city of a thousand planets,” critics called the space opera, with an impressive picture, but completely devoid of meaning. At the same time, the director, by his admission, was fascinated by the technical capabilities of the modern film industry. In an interview with the media, Besson said that he wanted to start production 20 years ago, but earlier technical capabilities did not allow him to fully realize his fantasies. It is not surprising that the main advantage of the picture is considered outstanding visualization.
Since the premiere of "The Fifth Element" (1997), the arsenal of special effects has expanded so much that in separate episodes, Luke surpassed not only himself twenty years ago, but Cameron with his Avatar (2009). The tape was shot amazingly beautiful, with an abundance of the brightest, cutting into the memory details and a deep separation of the 3D image.
Claims for casting
When analyzing and analyzing the painting “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”, the reviews of movie connoisseurs mercilessly criticized the selection of actors and the skill of key actors. According to their statements, the actors who played the central characters could not save the film. Dane DeHaan, reincarnated as Valerian, dressed in Hawaiian shirts, looks bewildered, it is almost impossible to believe in Lovelace as a courageous major special agent. The actor is completely unlike the hero of the comic book series, not counting the shock of black hair. But even if you don’t know anything about the original, the character in his performance is still implausible.
Model Cara Delevingne looks better than in her previous works, but she does not shine with the skill of reincarnation. The performer lacks acting experience and charisma to pull out a two-hour space saga.
The screen tandem of DeHaan and Delevingne was supposed to work as a duet of almost-lovers' partners, where Dave was assigned the hilarious role of Lovelace. However, as the reviews say, "Valerian and the city of a thousand planets" does not encourage perceiving their love union. When viewing the impression that the heroes are simply doomed to be together, portraying involuntary love. It’s quite difficult to understand anything about their relationship, the logic of the actions of the characters is defenseless before criticism.
Doubtless luck
An indisputable success is the author's choice of Rihanna for the role of priestess-dancer Bubble. The singer’s cameo in the movie “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”, the reviews of film critics and spectators called one of the key visual attractions of the film. Rihanna, made up under Liza Minnelli in "Cabaret", impresses the one watching with her fantastic erotic dance and the subsequent transformation into a jelly-like alien. Also, the viewer will definitely remember the episode with the appearance of Ethan Hawke and the "toad king."
Verdict
In general, if you discard the exactingness, while viewing in 3D and an acceptable laser projection, the picture can easily knock down and wake up in every inner child, make you scream with delight. The new masterpiece of Luc Besson is a pure, naive and beautiful fantasy, which is certainly worth joining.