Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

A good movie ruined by the ridiculous casting of Dane DeHaan asa swashbuckling, romantic lead. He ruins every scene with bad acting. He's neither heroic and the romantic chemistry between he and Cara Delvinge has all the sparks of a dripping sink.

The imagery is creative and the story inventive. A good story spoiled by one missed casting of the title character. Dane is not a romantic, nor a dashing heroic lead.

He's a little boy, playing toy soldiers.

DeHaan comes off like a prepubescent, nurtured 13 year old boy. He's less convincing as a "dangerous hero." His threatening stature has all the menace of Winnie The Poo.

I thought that the movie overall was okay. Good, but not Great. The cinematography looks great.

My biggest issue with the movie is the Chemistry, Acting, and Dialogue between the 2 main Protagonist.

1. There wasn't a lot of Chemistry between the 2 main characters. There wasn't enough personality to draw us into the movie, and to love the characters. I want to feel like I am rooting for the protagonists, but it is hard to do in this movie.

2. I did not like Dane DeHaan's acting. It looks like he is trying too hard to be the cool guy. Maybe that was the character that he was supposed to play. But I just dislike his character. One moment he is trying to act cool, another moment he is trying to act stubborn, and then he tries to play the hero.

I don't think it works. It might be his acting, but it might primarily be the role or character of the main protagonist.

3. The dialogue between the 2 main characters aren't great. It seems like the director just want them to argue back and forth the entire movie. I don't think it works. I don't think it builds enough of a chemistry between the 2 main characters. It doesn't make the 2 main characters lovable. I think making the protagonists lovable go a long way.

This movie was okay. It was good, but it was not great. It could have been better. They could have made the movie as good as "The Fifth Element" or "The Avatar" with a little more work and better writing.

I expected much much more...especially from LB.

So much potential in the story but the actors, dialogs and main characters simply didnt do the job.

It could have been one of the best movies but in the end its nothing....such potential, such visuals, such story...all went down the drain.

I like the movie and all the visual effects. Storyline is good, but not that amazing. The reason why this movie is not that good and many people didn't enjoy it is the very bad cast. Cara delevingne and Dane DeHaan as the main characters were completely wrong here, they are the most wrong decision ever. They aren't good actors at all and didn't deliver any emotions or passion. You don't get why Valerian and Laureline are into each other, no connection. And Dane DeHaan looks like a teenager, he is not the type to deliver this romantic tension. They really should have think twice about these actor choices. Would like a second movie like this but with better actors who are able to show some really good acting skills and are able to create tension and the feeling of understanding their characters and where they are coming from.

Adapted from Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières long-running French sci-fi comics series Valérian And Laureline. Luc Besson creates a stunning visual feast. Besson's attention to detail is immaculate. And that along side the quirky dialog's between Laureline and Valerian are what keep this film afloat. I might be in the minority, but I prefer my films to be lengthy. However in this case, Valerian feels overstuffed trying to add more depth to the story at every turn. This film might have benefited from a shorter run time. The biggest surprise was Laureline(Delevingne), her character is what kept my interest throughout the film and her acting was actually on point. As someone who was skeptical about her casting, I'm glad to be proved wrong. Not saying it's her breakout performance, Just saying she's improving and perhaps she might have a future as an actress. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Grade: B-