It's a strange movie. The visuals are intense, and there's a decent bit of situational humor mixed with adventure and mystery. Of course, the mystery part is easy to figure out for most people early on, so it's not quite as satisfying waiting for the main characters to catch up.
Laureline and Valerian are almost Bond-style agents working for some human government block in a future with a thousand races working together in harmony... for the most part. They're sent on missions to retrieve priceless things, and meet resistance along the way. Valerian is supposed to be a Bond-style playboy that the ladies swoon over and is constantly trying to win the affections of his partner Laureline. Unfortunately, this on-screen romance doesn't work -- at least not for me. I didn't think the two had any chemistry whatsoever. They felt more like siblings than lovers to me.
Laureline seems the more convincing of the two. She has some of the best lines and a playfulness that was fun to watch. That's not high praise, though since the dialogue wasn't exactly Shakespeare. It wasn't as bad as the Star Wars prequels droning on about the galactic senate, but... lacked the fun, witty banter and flirting of an actual couple courting.
I didn't think it was as good as The Fifth Element, but it was fun to watch. It definitely wasn't a dud. I just really get the feeling it was mis-cast. The director could have chosen any 2 actors for the leads, and the movie would have played out basically the same -- only perhaps with better chemistry and with more seasoned actors who could have ad-libbed some better dialogue. The storyline itself and the plot that drives the entire movie is a bit weak, but the visuals and the variety of aliens help make up for it.
Laureline and Valerian are almost Bond-style agents working for some human government block in a future with a thousand races working together in harmony... for the most part. They're sent on missions to retrieve priceless things, and meet resistance along the way. Valerian is supposed to be a Bond-style playboy that the ladies swoon over and is constantly trying to win the affections of his partner Laureline. Unfortunately, this on-screen romance doesn't work -- at least not for me. I didn't think the two had any chemistry whatsoever. They felt more like siblings than lovers to me.
Laureline seems the more convincing of the two. She has some of the best lines and a playfulness that was fun to watch. That's not high praise, though since the dialogue wasn't exactly Shakespeare. It wasn't as bad as the Star Wars prequels droning on about the galactic senate, but... lacked the fun, witty banter and flirting of an actual couple courting.
I didn't think it was as good as The Fifth Element, but it was fun to watch. It definitely wasn't a dud. I just really get the feeling it was mis-cast. The director could have chosen any 2 actors for the leads, and the movie would have played out basically the same -- only perhaps with better chemistry and with more seasoned actors who could have ad-libbed some better dialogue. The storyline itself and the plot that drives the entire movie is a bit weak, but the visuals and the variety of aliens help make up for it.