I love good science fiction. Fantastical worlds and spectacle, wrapped up in a very human story, has always been my go-to for entertainment, whether it be film, TV, comics, or novels. And good sci-fi is hard to find these days — true sci-fi. Until now, that is. In Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Lucy, Leon: The Professional) has adapted a 50-year-old iconic French comic book series by creators Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres into a big-budgeted eye-gasm of all that makes the genre great, but unfortunately, one flaw in the production keeps the film from reaching the grand heights of which it belongs: and that issue is the casting.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is the story of Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne), two agents of the Spatio-Temporal Service, who are given an assignment to procure a special artifact from an underworld boss, Igon Siruss (John Goodman). The artifact is wanted by others — some who would kill to obtain it — and Valerian and Laureline soon find themselves in the middle of an epic conflict 30-years in the making, with the existence of an entire race hanging in the balance.
Of course the plot has many, many turns, and after an incredibly strong start, showing how the “city of a thousand planets” came to be, fittingly set to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” the story dives right in, with Besson blowing minds with his glorious visuals and science fiction beats. This is in the form of weird planets, full of unusual inhabitants, that are besieged by the fires of war between other races. Neat advanced technology and a marketplace that exists in a pocket dimension are both signature sci-fi tropes, and all of this transpires before we even get to Alpha, the titular “City of A Thousand Planets,” but this interlude gives Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets time to establish itself and gives Besson license to wow. Alpha has its various segments/quadrants inhabited by different races and ecosystems, which are all wonderfully developed and just stunning to look at on-screen.
Unfortunately, the cracks in the production come as soon as we are introduced to Valerian. Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, Amazing Spider-Man 2) is easily the worst thing about this film, as while he may have the look of Valerian, as originally drawn by Mezieres, his acting talents come from the school of Keanu Reeves, which, John Wick aside, have always been questionable at best. DeHaan’s oddly off-putting line delivery sinks even the most important scenes, and by the end of the second act, I was cringing whenever Valerian was on-screen. On the flip side is Cara Delevingne’s Laureline. Delevingne delivers in her role, both in form and function, and she carries the scenes that she shares with DeHaan. When her character falls into trouble, leaving Valerian alone to find her, the film sinks. This film is Cara Delevingne’s (Suicide Squad) coming out party as an A-list actress, and I look forward to seeing more of her very soon.
The supporting cast, which includes Clive Owen as Commander Filitt, Rihanna as an amorphous shape-changer named Bubble, and Herbie Hancock as the Defence Minister, as well as other assorted cameos, do their jobs well, but when your lead is so out of his league, the whole production suffers for it. Besson is no stranger to odd casting. This is the man who cast ex-wrestler “Tiny” Tommy Lister (Friday) as the President of the United States in The Fifth Element, so he’s not afraid to take chances. But the chance he took on DeHaan could end up being costly.
Everything else in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets works, and so much has been said already about how visually mesmerizing the film is. And it is. Very much so. This is a film that begs to be seen in 3D on the biggest screen you can, and Besson and company have made one of the best looking sci-fi universes ever. Everything feels alive and lived in, and most of the designs and art direction are taken straight from the comic book. This is definitely a universe I would like to see more of, but not without a major recasting, which is unlikely.
Accompanying the visuals is an amazing film score by Alexandre Desplat, that helps set the tone for the film. Besson understands the sci-fi genre, which he proved with The Fifth Element, and his world building is accentuated by Desplat’s solid score. The creature designs are inspired as well, some lifted completely from the source material, which helps solidify this as a true adaption of such an iconic comic book series, one that even George Lucas has been accused of lifting from for his little science fiction project in 1977.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a visual marvel, with a great plot and some amazing music, but unfortunately, the lead actor can’t seem to carry the film as he should, and it hurts the entire production. It is definitely worth seeing, but any chance at a sequel or franchise maybe off the table, as Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets won’t have the thrusters it needs to rocket it into the upper levels of the sci-fi atmosphere. And that is a shame, for a film that doesn’t just about everything else right in the science fiction genre deserves to be celebrated. They just need to leave one person off the guest list.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is rated PG-13 and is in theaters on July 21.