SO MUCH POTENTIAL
Film Review by Fiore

In these aspects, VALERIAN
does not disappoint. As a member of the press corps, I saw the film in 3D. It
is spectacular in its visual presentation.
Production Designer Hugues
Tissandier and cameraman
extraordinaire Thierry
Arbogast combine to create an amazing
array of aliens, ships and extraterrestrial locales and dimensions. Visually, VALERIAN is a smorgasbord of
lights, colors and sights.
What submarines the film is
the script. While it is based on a
popular graphic novel (series of comic books), it moves too slow. Without the visual effects, VALERIAN could
cause drowsiness in its plodding unveiling of plot. The story, too, offers nothing new. It is a cookie-cutter template of old
fashioned sci-fi tales. The plot,
subplots and plot points are all standard. The underlying propaganda is anti-military
and anti-human. While these topics are
typical for the genre, something a bit more creative should be revealed, especially with this type of budget, which was
reported as 197,000,000 Euros. There are even a few scenes, like the bar
scene and the trash heap scene, that are purloined directly from STAR WARS.

Let’s take a look at the
report card for VALERIAN:
1.1 ACTING = D
1.2 CINEMATOGRAPHY = A
1.3 SOUND/MUSIC = B
1.4 EDITING = C
1.5 LIGHTING = C
1.6 SCRIPT = F
1.7 SFX = A
1.8 ACTION = B
Major Valerian and his
partner Sgt. Laureline are not only partners for the federation police, they
are also star-crossed lovers. During a
procurement assignment of stolen property, they stumble upon a massive conspiracy
involving the military and the genocide of a peaceful planet. In an effort to prevent war and further
genocide, the couple must fight odds to reveal the conspiracy.
Starring with DeHaan and Delevingne
are: Clive Owen as Commander Arun Filjitt, the antagonist; Rihanna, who is
delicious as the shape-shifting Bubble; and Ethan Hawke, who also shines in a
cameo as Jolly the Pimp; Herbie Hancock, seen only on a video screen as the
Defense Minister; and Rutger Hauer, who merely delivers a speech as the
President of the World State Federation.
1.9 KEY SCENES TO LOOK FOR:
1.
RETREVAL OF THE
CONVERTER
2.
RIHANNA’S SONG
AND DANCE

When stars with
cameos upstage the main actors, there is a significant problem, and Rihanna, Hawke and Owen all do just that.
VALERIAN’s conclusion is
stale. After a crescendo of two hours,
the climax is predictable and covered with lame sauce. Besson may have realized his dream of making a celluloid version of his favorite
comic, and was bestowed with a nice
budget, but this effort isn’t
worthy of the anticipation.
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