Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

What if the Star Wars prequels had been handed over to a better director? What if The Force Awakens and Rogue One had aimed at being original and fun science fantasy films rather than just playing on people's nostalgia?

This is what I found myself seeing as I was watching Valerian. A film that made Space Opera's fun and exciting again.

I was surprised by the two leads. The trailers made it feel like we'd be seeing a rehash of the two main leads from Ender's Game but I was surprised at how fun and spunky (and flawed) the two characters were to watch. The romance was not there and it did not need to be there because this film is not a romance nor centered around a romance.

This film is Luc Besson taking what people loved about the Fifth Element and stretching it to the entire movie.

And yes, it is true, it is visually the prettiest movie since Avatar. The kids I took with me to see this film had their eyes on the screen the whole time, no bathroom break, no water break, just a visually mesmerizing film that never tired its audience.

My recommendation is to go see it on the bring screen to experience the marvel of it. It's a shame it is not available in IMAX.

Fmovies: The first thing I want to say about this movie is that the visuals are absolutely insane! It's really a joy to watch, the aliens are extremely well made and the first scene is just gorgeous!

The story is predictable, but can keep you interested for most of the time. The main problem was the way things are explained, it's like the movie think that the viewers are not intelligent enough, and many times I found myself saying "well that was obvious". There are some scenes that have zero impact on the story, and they give you nothing interesting. I really wanted to know more about this world, about the species, but sadly that didn't happen.

The dialog is good but nothing exiting, sometimes they say the same stuff over and over and you may find yourself thinking "we get it, move on", and it's really cheesy at some points.

The acting is very good, the chemistry between Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne is great, and overall all the cast delivers.

This movie wasn't something amazing as I thought it would be judging by the trailers, but I still enjoyed it very much, the actions scenes were great and the humor was on point most of the time. I won't recommend this for those who look for something clever with breathtaking twists, but for those who enjoy solid acting, nice story and amazing visuals, this movie is definitely recommended.

Overall 7/10

Thanks for reading!

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.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets fmovies. The plot is quite unimportant, Cara is a hot babe truly truly hot, The same can be said of Riri (Rihanna) I like the visual effects That's all

I have never written a movie review in my life but I was so outraged after taking my family and some friends to see Valerian I have decided to try and save some other poor soul from falling for the special effects trap. I must admit the beautiful visual effects of this movie drew me in like the blue glow of a bug zapper.

The visual effects were stunning and the race of people central to the plot were well crafted and engaging. But when the CGI characters deliver more believable and emotional performances than the actors, you know your in trouble.

Dane Dehaan is terrible. I don't think I have ever seen him before but, he sounds like he is trying to give his best Keanu Reeves impression. If that is his natural voice I feel for him, because it sounds forced and at times comical.

The two leads do nothing to draw you into the story and not once did I feel there was any chemistry between the two actors. Delevingne comes across as an annoying B and you never find yourself hoping the two leads will work out their differences. I simply did not care about these people.

Slick visuals and special effects cannot carry a movie alone, you still need dialogue, good actors to project chemistry and emotion that draw you into the story.

I guess what I learned from this experience is not to be fooled by the special effects and wait for week two or three before spending over $80.

You can polish a turd all you want, in the end it's still a turd.

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.