What I got instead was an extremely pleasing and original story that was superbly executed.What I love about the movie is that the plot isn't your typical sci-fi plot. It plays like a detective story intermingled with action and amazing visuals, culminating in a very satisfying ending that made me yearn for sequels to learn more about the universe Besson has created.Well done! This movie deserves to live on! Watch it in the theaters and be thrilled!

about the story the better. The film naming hero Valerian is connected through his dreams to a distant planet. It involves war between races, military intrigue, love & death, but more then any other SciFi movie, this one is about the journey not the destination. The countless side stories, and side characters are what makes this a breathing version of an unforgettable universe. This is the best Sci Fiction film I've seen since 'The Matrix'.

uncomfortable in a shooting and chasing film. Bottom line: this movie is seriously under-rated.

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.

inventiveness, its visual splendour, and also plain fun. I mean, a movie where a Jessica Rabbit cameo doesn't feel forced or out of place, that's just unique.In my opinion, the optical fireworks were even a bit overdone, some scenes were plainly set up in a certain way to make them more spectacular but didn't really add to the story - an early on action sequence in a half-virtual market comes to mind that would work nearly equally well in a normal bazaar, just without some gags.As to the story-line - lovers of the books as I am will recognise a lot of ingredients and species, and the main set-piece, a space city, is obviously taken from "L'Ambassadeurs des Ombres", but the story itself is a new one and revolves around a planet wiped out in a war about 30 years back, and the repercussions thereof. The "secret" someone wants to keep is not that secret to us, in fact about half an hour into the movie you already have a pretty good idea of what's going on, the joy comes from the detours we're taking on the road to the happy ending, not from silly plot twists.Now, the characters, Valerian and Laureline: Dane DeHaan looks too young for his part from the comics where Valerian was the more experienced partner, here he just has a higher degree , Cara Delevingne is perfectly cast, standing her ground with just the right amount of sarcasm and spunk. The team dynamics were as readers know it - Valerian the one who tends to stick to the rules and play by book while Laureline tends to act more impulsively - but both working together really well, be it as a duo or solo. There is a romance angle in the movie that was not taken from the books and feels a bit forced, thankfully it stays marginal and doesn't lessen the overall enjoyment.And cheers to the screenwriters Besson, mostly for not going full in with the stakes. While there's some serious action here - people die and some more might die if V&L didn't succeed - it's actually a rather smallish plot, with just one single villain, and no worlds or even the universe to be saved, just the lives of some innocent bystanders.Big recommendation for all fans of colourful SciFi and optical fireworks!

there. Director Luc Besson is his own starman here, and he commands the world of Valerian with pizazz and passion. Not everything works, as our space agents wrestle dialogue that falls pancake flat; but the actors play well off each other and comedic moments succeed more than fail. The ending half of the film loses steam,except for Rihanna's literally acrobatic performance,but Valerian is a bonkers crazy, geeky, and likable space opera that can only come from someone who's imagination is truly free.