Rules are rules and this is a place where we make love, not war." Seeing as the Fifth Element is an old favourite science-fiction of mine with its obscure storyline and wacky pace. From the trailers, Valerian seemed to be in the same vain, but with an extra quality - the visuals looked breathtaking. And that's what they are - breathtaking. From early on you start to explore the Universe that Luc Besson has lifted from the comic books. Every detail is colourful, beautiful and awesome. Action sequences are especially mesmerising in this film as the landscapes, environments and spaceships coalesce elegantly for every frame. It's not too detailed that it causes a brain seizure, but it's just enough to make you see the scale. Each environment has it's own style, so to speak, and that style is instantly recognisable as unique. City of a Thousand Planets indeed.
There's a vast mix of previous films and influences in this, however it's difficult discern whether one is original or inspired by another science-fiction world without knowing what was in the comic book. Suffice to say, the plot and storyline is quite similar to Star Wars, but when it comes to the fine details, the two converge quite significantly. Valerian concentrates a lot on the philosophical themes, with love standing as the primary motivation for the plot. Certain decisions made by characters either follow a code or procedure that has negative impacts on their feelings - this is the concise overall story. What transpires, however, is far more detailed and rich potential. The story itself is the driving force of the entire film and gives the writers ample opportunity to hit a lot of notes along the way. The opening sequences introducing Humanity's evolution in space travel alongside David Bowie's Space Oddity, on the planet Mül and the mission to retrieve a 'converter' are the best parts of the movie, giving us an exciting, relentless, fascinating series of action and exposition scenes. Cinematography should be commended for its skill at showing the small and the large with equal detail. Kudos to Luc Besson as well for the use of dimension-changing, by having the agents surf between the two. Science-fiction success is always based on the inventive use of cool ideas - there's nothing cooler than having a character be two places at once. The latter half of the film, in which we return to Alpha and discover a possible threat at the heart of the city, is perhaps lessened by the fact that it is returning to more familiar science-fiction tropes, but the visual and audio aid does not cease. The military aspect is perhaps something that should have been reconsidered or further developed, but we do get to meet some other interesting characters, including the Doghan-Dagui trio who have great knowledge and Bubble, a shape-shifter. The conclusion does seem relatively simple, but everything leading up to the payoff is so good that it is almost negligible in the long term. The villain is captured and the heroes get married seems like a typical cliche, which is a shame considering the astonishing originality of this film. Apart from Valerian and Laureline, the characters are generally fascinating and help to depict a more vibrant Universe. Clive Owen plays a surprisingly villainous evil in Commander Arun Filitt, which is hard to find in most good vs evil films these days. Rihanna's tenure as Bubble may have been short-lived, but her brief appearance was surprisingly enigmatic and gave the writers a chance to point out the darkness of slavery. Also, the Pearl race are depicted as a pacifistic, humble race, which makes their history even more tragic in retrospect. Laureline is a character played brilliantly by Cara Delevingne, with a decidedly stubborn overview on life. Unfortunately, it's the other main character, Valerian that falters. As he's written as a major, Dane DeHaan seems too young for the role, and the actor's portrayal doesn't seem fierce or strong enough to be authoritative. This was my only gripe towards the acting, but it is perhaps more of a blame towards the casting. Luckily it doesn't ruin the flow of the film. My main negative is the script. Despite a multitude of talent and extravaganza behind the making of this film, the endearing quality of the directing and visual richness is let down by a contrastingly lacklustre script. It suffers the old fantasy cliches and relies too much on the characters' actions rather than the intelligence of their decisions. Especially when it comes the military side, the script can become a bit comedic. Whilst romance isn't a common recurrence in the film, when it does crop up, it can be a bit jarring amid a mountain of action and excitement. It forces the movie to stall for a moment to explain the relationship between Valerian and Laureline before moving on again to the next plot development. All in all, this is far from a bad film - the visual aspects alone are almost enough to put into icon territory as a symbol of quality filmmaking. However, a bad casting choice and an unconvincing script leave me to believe that it won't remain a cult classic like The Fifth Element. However, there's enough excitement here for an enjoyable night at the cinema, and the imagination that has been injected into the visual aspects are enough to call it a film of high potential. Unfortunately, the director and producers may not get the chance to improve with a sequel, but this is a strong adaption, nonetheless. 7.5/10
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8/10/2022 10:13:17 pm
Sağolasın bizi bilgilendirdiğin için. Kemer transfer: https://www.alanyagroup.com/kemer-airport-transfer/
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AuthorA very passionate Welsh nerd... Archives
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