The two leads look as though they have no chemistry together. Also, it's difficult to imagine any hero team that has a combined weight of 160 lbs. seriously, they look like they're too busy taking opiates to save anything
With the exception of like 2 scenes, the majority of the time they are fighting they are relying on agility. So its mostly them getting in and out of being hit and shooting things with guns. In that way it works.
What was up with the character voiced by John Good man? He threatens Dane Dehaan's character 20 minutes into the movie, only to disappear and never to be seen or heard from again. It is absolutely criminal to waste John Goodman!
Luc Besson is one of those directors who seems to do better with smaller budgets - it's a problem I now call ridleyscottitis - "Give me a huge budget, guys - and I completely lose the ability to make movies that connect with audiences!"
I think Shyamalan's directorial problems go far beyond whatever budget he gets! But then I'm the only person on earth who liked 'The Happening' (although Wahlburg really stank) so maybe I should shut up!
I'm not sure Lucas IS a director - he just makes very long Ads for Hasbro and Kenner toys! I've always found Danny Boyle and Brian de Palma's work pretty hit and miss!
I'd rather you use the term Trumpanzee! Okay - it's nothing to do with movies but I'm really proud of coining that one! And I think it perfectly sums the gentleman up!
Also, I'm afraid I'm going to have to charge you 8.95 every time you use that phrase! We're about to enter Brexit and we all know the French will take us for every penny we have! ;-) We'll be destitute by 2020 ;-)
Sigh. I thought I wouldn't like the two main actors and I was right. I know how they could have fixed this movie. Let the people who wrote the 40 episode cartoon write the script as a continuation of sorts, and cast James Maccavoy and Karen Gillen as the mains.
Oh. Oh, jeebus. Dude. DUDE. It's like you reached inside my head as I was leaving the theatre yesterday, and said everything I was thinking. You didn't, of course, and that proves we're not crazy.
I saw it in the cinemax and it was sooooo boring!!! I wanted to kill myself, a complete waste of money... stick to online streaming if you want to get bored for 2,5 hours
the weird thing is the male lead was already in his 30s when this movie came out but looks and sounds 14 and the female lead was in her mid 20s. this movie reminds me of a teenage rom-com that someone got mixed up and accidently gave a big budget scifi movies special effects. Like they meant to shoot 17 Again but mixed it up with Star Wars Revenge of the Sith half way through shooting.
Ruby rod is meant to be annoying. just look at how Corbin Dallas reacts to him throughout the film. A character that is designed to be annoying, actually being annoying is a strength, not a weakness.
Ok me and my dad saw this film today and we were just bored out of our minds and left somewhere around the hour mark. Also I feel like I should mention 3 other people left before us and this is only halfway though the film.
Henry he im hearing alot of bad things about this film.. it looks soo coool tho i might still see it . all it needs is some uh ...uh .... herbal enhancement.
this movie was literally like the most awesome portfolio showcase of amazing concept artists, and then luc besson came and threw the most atrocious writing on top
On my first viewing of The Fifth Element, I felt exactly the same about Ruby Rhod. Upon further reflection and many re-watches, I came to the opinion that his character was always intended to be that disruptive. The setting of TFE was by design big, loud, gaudy and sometimes too much so. Ruby was arguably a perfect representative of a universe with President Tiny Lister, comically over-sized guns and a literal Space Devil. I never have to wonder what Ruby is thinking, because he'll tell me and then he'll tell me again, five seconds later. It's just my opinion, but I find him refreshing and a perfect counterpoint / comic foil to Corbin's character.
I'm reading the comic and I am enjoying it. Looking forward to seeing the movie, regardless of some reviews. I'm interested to see how much of "cliche" you mentioned is something that is cliche now, but was not in 70's and 80'. Also... I like Lucy.
He has clearly not read the comics. i have and I love them, been reading them since I was a kid. go see the movie I think you'll like it. The Shingouz is in it and so it has to be good :D
The 5th Element is one of my favorite films, and Ruby Rod is one of my favorite characters. Not sure why he gets so much hate. Maybe it depends if you saw it in the theatre when it came it.
I don't know, I loved Lucy and everything about the Fifth Element (including Ruby Rhod) so maybe Valerian will be up my alley too ... guess there's only one way to find out.
I fell in love with the Fifth Element back then. Over the years with all those internet review people I started to say that this movie is "my guilty pleasure" but... no, man! I genuenly really like that movie! :D Internet does that all the time and condition you to not like stuff.
I'm in love with Carla Divine as much as the next sane person, but _The Off-World Adventures of Eyebrows & the Dweeb_ just seemed like part of a full-court press to turn a run-of-the-mill fashion model into a superstar.
I have a pretty soft spot for Luc Besson's movies. I liked La Femme Nikita, The Family, and Léon: The Professional, and even a little bit of The Fifth Element. And while Lucy wasn't perfect, it has its moments. Valerian was a mixed bag to me, there are a few sore spots but it has plenty of entertaining moments and it looks creative.
i actually liked the character of ruby rod. Tucker played an over the top, flamboyant, over confident show host well. i loved the ridiculousness of the character.
Think you are getting hung up on ruby rodd.......i mean have you seen TV lately we make stupid people fameous. Ruby is sadly perfect commentary on what stuff like youtube and facebook is doing to us all.....
Can't say I'm surprised. The advance trailer made it all look pretty but otherwise nothing special. One to watch on late-night TV, methinks! PS: I liked Ruby Rhod's character.
Kind of interesting: I liked Ruby Rod, so I made the prediction that @goodBadFlicks was going to opposite me and like Rhianna's performance here (since I hated it). I wonder what the underlying hypothesis for these preferences would be?
I'm not surprised. Besson has always had more respect that he deserves; I think of him as a snootier Emmerich. Even when I'm liking his ideas (Lockout, District 13) he never really elevates them above just "a cool concept". The way the review makes it sound, Valerian turned out exactly how I imagined it would.
Look, The Fifth Element is so perfect that it plays on the TV in bars here in NYC on a loop- because it's such a wonderful cult classic and Every Single Character is beloved and wonderful and great!!! You speak ill of Ruby Rod and you lose my love!!!
I think the film would've worked MUCH better had it been just a series of little adventures that Valerian and Laureline went on, INCLUDING the Rihana scene. Sure it wouldn't have a cohesive narrative, but at least it would have been fun all the way through rather than just some scenes here and there.
The only trailer for it I've seen, Cara Delavine (not a spelling test) says something like, "You've never met a human woman before." That one line was so bad I decided not to see it. I'm with you, I really really wanted to like it. But I always think they choose the best of what they've got for the trailers and when the lines from the trailers are bad it is an omen for the rest of the movie. I did want to see it so I reserved judgment until I watched your review so thanks for the video :)
Just watched it last night and was taken aback at how bland and generic most of the dialog was. They skipped over developing the main characters instead just gave us a bland exposition dump. Didn't know where the focus of the film was, the aliens which would have worked better or the main characters who were no doing it for me ever. Had some cool technical ideas and visual design.
I'm a big fan of the old comic books, and I had high hopes for this movie. The visuals are gorgeous and the world building is fantastic, just as in the source material. The "romantic banter" was entirely created for the movie, so the blame goes 100% to Luc Besson on this. He probably thought it would be more appealing to young adults this way. An interesting difference from the comic books is the gender dynamics. In the comic, Valerian is kidnapped along with the VIP (who is an ambassador and not a general). Valerian is indeed a loyal soldier and sticks with the VIP to protect him. Laureline is left behind, and it is she who tracks down the VIP and Valerian and explores the intergalactic UN-space station. Yes, she even sleeps with the shapeshifting prostitute, but it's not a big deal. In other words: The 1975 space opera comic book is more modern than the movie. As much as you hate Ruby Rod, I feel double about Rihanna's character. Not Rihanna, but the character she plays. A prostitute with a heart of gold who dies happily, so the hero can learn from her sacrifice and grow?!?!?! Bleargxjsdhuh I'm nauseous!
Everyone and their mom and dog loves Ruby Rod. He gave the film a lot more of a unique twist that worked in tandem with the wit and humor of the movie that made it as memorable as it is. I swear sometimes this guys opinions just sound downright dumb.
Have you seen Besson's Extraordinary adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec adaptation? It wears on a little towards the end, but it's very sharply funny and just a little darker than expected, but seeing him direct in his own language he just seems far better at drawing good performances out of his cast.
1) Special Effects: Check 2) Bad Dialogue: Check 3) Bland Delivery of Dialogue: Check 4) Boring Moments: Check 5) Stuff Happening, non plot related: Check 6) Hire actors that are trying to make a name for themselves: Check 7) Mostly Depend on CGI and special effects: Check 8) Make another Summer Blockbuster or try at least: Check
It took some time for me to get used to Dane DeHaan's drugged-up Dude-Bro take on Valerian, but I did and ended up liking him well enough in the role. No, Valerian and Laureline were as far from their comic and animated(there was an animated French-Japanese co-produced TV series back in 2007) counterparts, but this was Luc Besson trying to make the characters his own. He may not have succeeded but I grew to enjoy them. I did not laugh at the humorous moments but I did chuckle a bit. All-in-all it's a visual feast of a film and I'm glad I saw it(though I did it for free so there's that). I'll check it out once more, perhaps it will get better on repeat viewings. I really enjoyed the animated series and just bought it on DVD so I'll always have that and the original comics which I've picked up 3 trades for and have a standing order for the rest at my local comic shop.
Bummer. I had a feeling that it would be style over substance, considering the source material was a sort of trashy pulp comic: amazing visual design, but a jerk hot shot. Influence on The Fifth Element is obvious just looking at the trailer for Valerian, so I figured your take-away would be exactly what you said it would be. Oh well.
The Fifth Element is my favorite movie of all time. And Ruby Rhos is perfect what he's meant to be. Just look at the most subbed channels on TH-cam. Loud and obnoxious. Future entertainment is going the Ruby way.
Even with all the bad, if they replaced the two main actors with just about anyone else it could have worked in some way. I lost interest in the movie the second i saw the two leads in the trailer. saw it later down the line only for that to confirm with me that they didn't have casting down at all for the film.
Saw it yesterday and you pretty much captured my feeling towards the movie. However I think Clive Owen was a cookie cutter badguy who hardly ever showed up, and it was refreshing to not have a movie constantly nudging you to reference something else (besides the Jessica rabbit thing). It took forever to get any sense of urgency and danger in this movie. I almost fell asleep in the seemingly never ending act 2
Hi. I just got back from seeing this movie, and watching reviews of it like yours is now my catharsis. One of my friends noted that I spent a lot of the movie's runtime with my head down, that'll tell you all you need to know about how I felt about it.
Finally watched this. This is honestly the first time I've been seriously tempted to stop watching a movie - and I sat through Manos-Hands of Fate (admittedly on MST3K and even that was tough). I could not get away from the impression that the script was written by a pre-teen doing her version of Twilight in Space with the "morals" of Avatar. It was so full of clichés and eye-roll-inducing dialogue. I love Besson's work and this movie was gorgeous, but beautiful $#!* is still $#!*. I can see how it was trying to be 5th Element, but falling flat on its face - aside from the visuals.
Two movies don't make a tendency. And in a world where the godawful serious Marvel movies are liked one can't call Battleship and Valerian bad, at least they're servicable.
Simple fix, Clive Owen as Valerian! Dehaan as a veteran elite soldier? Didn't buy it. I heard a saying years ago about models, how they are so skinny they can't walk like normal people. They just have weird posture. I kept thinking that during the film "Fight? They can barely walk!"
And the studio geniuses decided to put this across from the Nolen long awaited movie DUNKIRK which has a lot of good reviews and was an excellent movie which didn't help them wanting people to see this if one had to choose one over the other, I went to see DUNKIRK and am glad I did.
This will end up being a cult classic like Fifth Element. I enjoyed the heck out of this movie. It's not perfect, but I was engaged the entire time and want to see it again.
I'm pretty sure I finished watching this movie but I cant remember how it ended or what was the plot even. I also liked Rihannas part but I also have a bit of a crush on her. ^^
Watching valerian is like watching art. Dont listen, just watch. Also cara looks stunning throughout the movie. I believe they thought the lead actor would work for a younger audience
I liked it. It was trying to do something new visually (in contrast to Soviet Disney that doesn't attempt anything interesting visually/conceptually with Marvel/Star Wars). I thought the generic plot was a good thing, instead of another complex story that often writes itself into a corner. The video pointed out everything that was terrible about it, but I was still entertained
Wow just wow. Google the comic. It is from the 60s and is a french comic and George Lucas Stole the entire visuals to Star Wars from the comics... Google it and see
I loved this movie! I think this is a clear example of a movie junkie problem, you watched and analyze so many that you stop enjoying the good random action ass films like this one.
I wanted to do a little thing about not understanding why people sometimes just refuse to suspend their disbelief, but then I remembered that I do that with the godawful serious Marvel movies :-)
hey cecil can i ask you something? i know this question already outdated and nothing to do with this video but did you watch ghostbuster reboot? if you do what your opinion about that?
Haha loved Valerian but can't stand Ruby Rodd. Sure the dialogue is clichéd and Dehaan is kinda miscast but thought Cara was fantastic. Embrace the clichés and you will enjoy it :D
Ha ha so it's not just me who loathes Ruby Rod then lol I was hoping this was going to be good, I'm a massive Rutger Hauer fan and was looking forward to seeing him back up on the big screen, but if he's only in it for a cameo, that's definitely quelled my excitement for it. Cheers for the info, Cecil I think I'll give this one a miss.
About to see the film. So far I've read some of the comics and seen some episodes of the tv show and i'm starting to get the feeling the show was better than the movie.
Remember when I used to dislike "Space Truckers"? The movie with 9% or something on Rotten Tomatoes? There, that movie has similar esthetics of "The Fifth Element" and while some of the jokes aren't as funny as the writers thought they were, at least the movie had an understandable plot, protagonists that were good enough to follow and was way shorter and better paced. Honestly "Space Truckers" for being 9% is more competent than most SciFi and blockbusters coming out in these years. It really is.
Just saw it today, wish I hadn't. I agree with everything you said except about Rihanna's character. I did like the character and agreed about the annoyance at her dance, but her exit from the movie was abrupt, confusing, and completely wtf. I mean, she was in the movie for maybe 10 minutes and she gets a profound Yoda like exit. What was all that about? Seriously. Was it a comic reference that went over my head or something? It annoyed me quite a bit.
I honestly REALLY enjoyed this movie. Were there some issues with this movie? Sure. They ran a typical plot line ok but I still thought it was great. Honestly since this is a multi book series type thing like the HARRY POTTER movies were (THE ADVENTURES OF VALLERIAN AND LAURALIE. I did some research. roughly 7+ books. books are still being made. latest came out 2016) I think this may be just as good as the HARRY POTTER movies were. I am sure the two main characters will grow in character development. This was just the first movie (maybe?) so I think people shouldn't be so judgemental.
Does it explain why the two main actors needed to appear to be children? When it first made the rounds, I thought it was a kids movie because valarians actor looked like a kid.
I could not agree with your review more...I saw it last night and hated almost every moment of it. It's absolutely bafflingly miscast it was unreal. Is Dane Dehaan constantly on drugs? Will Rhianna ever learn to act? Why is the film over 2 hours long? The whole time I saw the film all I could think of was The Phantom Menace...I couldn't wait for it to end. Side Note...majorly upset that Eric Sierra did not do the score - just another "blah" moment in this tepid waste of celluloid.
I have never seen this film but am going to watch it today. From the looks of it the film looks similar to Fifth element which was tribute homage type movie to scifi classics and science fiction except done in the style of bubblegum pop movie.
@@GoodBadFlicks I am going to try to go into the film from the point of view of how I feel like this director sees scifi stuff. I get the feeling he doesnt really take science fiction that serious and is more interested in just creating Quirky silly over the top scifi worlds for fun. As a movie I felt like Fifth element was little all over the place but seemed like it wanted to create its own unique feeling world and film. So I will try to see this film in that way but im not sure it will have that B movie charm I liked in Fifth Element.
I loved Ruby Rod. "Whatcha screaming for!" haha
I know I'm in the minority but he drove me nuts
COOOOOORRRRBYYYYYYNNN DALLLLAAAAAAAAASSSSS MAHHEEEEYYYYY MAAAAAAAAN!!!
i liked him too haha -bzzzzzzz!
He was the best part of the film!
Agreed, he was great. Though I can see why he'd annoy some.
Love Ruby!! Fifth element one of the best sci-fi film of the 90s.
just a stereo-typed gay - embarrassing and annoying camp nonsense without any dignity.
@@mrspone1000 except he wasn't gay... I think the term is metro-sexual. If he was also gay that would make him bi or pansexual.
My main beef with the movie: Hairless, Balless, spiritless Valerian.
The two leads look as though they have no chemistry together. Also, it's difficult to imagine any hero team that has a combined weight of 160 lbs. seriously, they look like they're too busy taking opiates to save anything
With the exception of like 2 scenes, the majority of the time they are fighting they are relying on agility. So its mostly them getting in and out of being hit and shooting things with guns. In that way it works.
GoodBadFlicks clever
Liam Cronin - LOL !!!
Yeah, the casting was literally what kept me from seeing it.
geligniteandlilies rightfully so. I really wanted to like this movie but the two leads were so annoying that I stoped watching after 30 minutes
What was up with the character voiced by John Good man? He threatens Dane Dehaan's character 20 minutes into the movie, only to disappear and never to be seen or heard from again. It is absolutely criminal to waste John Goodman!
he sent his pet after them, obviously
Luc Besson is one of those directors who seems to do better with smaller budgets - it's a problem I now call ridleyscottitis - "Give me a huge budget, guys - and I completely lose the ability to make movies that connect with audiences!"
I think Shyamalan's directorial problems go far beyond whatever budget he gets! But then I'm the only person on earth who liked 'The Happening' (although Wahlburg really stank) so maybe I should shut up!
I'm not sure Lucas IS a director - he just makes very long Ads for Hasbro and Kenner toys! I've always found Danny Boyle and Brian de Palma's work pretty hit and miss!
Alan Moss
If you dont mind, i'll use the 'ridleyscottitis' term from now on ;)
I'd rather you use the term Trumpanzee! Okay - it's nothing to do with movies but I'm really proud of coining that one! And I think it perfectly sums the gentleman up!
Also, I'm afraid I'm going to have to charge you 8.95 every time you use that phrase! We're about to enter Brexit and we all know the French will take us for every penny we have! ;-) We'll be destitute by 2020 ;-)
Sigh. I thought I wouldn't like the two main actors and I was right.
I know how they could have fixed this movie. Let the people who wrote the 40 episode cartoon write the script as a continuation of sorts, and cast James Maccavoy and Karen Gillen as the mains.
That sounds like it would have been much better.
Awesome casting choices! They should've hired you.
if cara is one of your best actors, your introuble.
Oh. Oh, jeebus. Dude. DUDE. It's like you reached inside my head as I was leaving the theatre yesterday, and said everything I was thinking. You didn't, of course, and that proves we're not crazy.
Cecil, you're killing me uploading videos at 4 am.
Movie was 3 hours (2 hours 20 mins plus 20 mins of trailers) and it took me a while to get this together
GoodBadFlicks don't you fret none, we still love you, Cecil.
who needs sleep anyway? like tanning, it's completely overrated
I saw it in the cinemax and it was sooooo boring!!!
I wanted to kill myself, a complete waste of money...
stick to online streaming if you want to get bored for 2,5 hours
The main characters look like kids. Are they kids? That casting was awful.
i agree - far too many kids in this film.
the weird thing is the male lead was already in his 30s when this movie came out but looks and sounds 14 and the female lead was in her mid 20s. this movie reminds me of a teenage rom-com that someone got mixed up and accidently gave a big budget scifi movies special effects. Like they meant to shoot 17 Again but mixed it up with Star Wars Revenge of the Sith half way through shooting.
do they have multipass?
Sadly no Leeloo Dallas multipass
Dane DeHaan is clearly the worst Keanu Reeves impersonator on film.
areasevenpro I thought it was a mix between Clint Eastwood & Keanu Reeves, and, unlike Cecil, it didn't annoy me.
Haha, but Keanu Reeves is the worst Keanu Reeves impersonator. ;)
Ruby rod is meant to be annoying. just look at how Corbin Dallas reacts to him throughout the film. A character that is designed to be annoying, actually being annoying is a strength, not a weakness.
but when he annoys the audience for half the film?
Ok me and my dad saw this film today and we were just bored out of our minds and left somewhere around the hour mark. Also I feel like I should mention 3 other people left before us and this is only halfway though the film.
Henry he im hearing alot of bad things about this film.. it looks soo coool tho i might still see it . all it needs is some uh ...uh .... herbal enhancement.
I love this movie so much. I’ve seen it many times
this movie was literally like the most awesome portfolio showcase of amazing concept artists, and then luc besson came and threw the most atrocious writing on top
On my first viewing of The Fifth Element, I felt exactly the same about Ruby Rhod.
Upon further reflection and many re-watches, I came to the opinion that his character was always intended to be that disruptive. The setting of TFE was by design big, loud, gaudy and sometimes too much so.
Ruby was arguably a perfect representative of a universe with President Tiny Lister, comically over-sized guns and a literal Space Devil. I never have to wonder what Ruby is thinking, because he'll tell me and then he'll tell me again, five seconds later. It's just my opinion, but I find him refreshing and a perfect counterpoint / comic foil to Corbin's character.
Why, just why, why, why, do films with such immense budgets don't spend one fucking percent of their money on some stellar hard sci-fi writer?
Yep, nailed it in one
They used all the money on the directors and actors. Haha
or decent actors
you re mistaken, their source was basically second only to Jules Verne, you couldn t get better sci fi writers
I'm reading the comic and I am enjoying it. Looking forward to seeing the movie, regardless of some reviews. I'm interested to see how much of "cliche" you mentioned is something that is cliche now, but was not in 70's and 80'. Also... I like Lucy.
He has clearly not read the comics.
i have and I love them, been reading them since I was a kid.
go see the movie I think you'll like it.
The Shingouz is in it and so it has to be good :D
The 5th Element is one of my favorite films, and Ruby Rod is one of my favorite characters. Not sure why he gets so much hate. Maybe it depends if you saw it in the theatre when it came it.
???WTF would that make a difference?
Valium and the City of a Thousand Planets.
I don't know, I loved Lucy and everything about the Fifth Element (including Ruby Rhod) so maybe Valerian will be up my alley too ... guess there's only one way to find out.
I fell in love with the Fifth Element back then. Over the years with all those internet review people I started to say that this movie is "my guilty pleasure" but... no, man! I genuenly really like that movie! :D Internet does that all the time and condition you to not like stuff.
Haitani
I feel the same way about Porky's.
I'm in love with Carla Divine as much as the next sane person, but _The Off-World Adventures of Eyebrows & the Dweeb_ just seemed like part of a full-court press to turn a run-of-the-mill fashion model into a superstar.
I have a pretty soft spot for Luc Besson's movies. I liked La Femme Nikita, The Family, and Léon: The Professional, and even a little bit of The Fifth Element.
And while Lucy wasn't perfect, it has its moments.
Valerian was a mixed bag to me, there are a few sore spots but it has plenty of entertaining moments and it looks creative.
Damn you... why does everyone have to confirm my fears and apprehensions about Valerian! I wanted this Soooo BAD; I needed this! DAMN IT!!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed Valerian. Give it a chance.
i actually liked the character of ruby rod. Tucker played an over the top, flamboyant, over confident show host well. i loved the ridiculousness of the character.
I feel if they had gone with different lead actors the movie really would have been amazing, but I really like the movie John Carter.
The 'Nice hat' line was a nod to "Fifth Element".
QUESTION...were the 5TH ELEMENT race one of the races of aliens in the beginning meet and greet montage ? I think i saw a trio of them...
Think you are getting hung up on ruby rodd.......i mean have you seen TV lately we make stupid people fameous.
Ruby is sadly perfect commentary on what stuff like youtube and facebook is doing to us all.....
He would have been fine in small doses, but like he said, he showed up and just didn't go away.
you spelled famous wrong, dumbass.
just a stereo-typed gay - embarrassing and annoying camp nonsense without any dignity.
Can't say I'm surprised. The advance trailer made it all look pretty but otherwise nothing special. One to watch on late-night TV, methinks!
PS: I liked Ruby Rhod's character.
They should have thrown in the line "Alright two days to retirement."
lol seriously!
More like "Alright two days and I'll be a high school senior!"
Don't care. My crush on Cara whatever will see me through.
Kind of interesting: I liked Ruby Rod, so I made the prediction that @goodBadFlicks was going to opposite me and like Rhianna's performance here (since I hated it). I wonder what the underlying hypothesis for these preferences would be?
Ruby Rodd was one of the most original characters ever.
I'm not surprised. Besson has always had more respect that he deserves; I think of him as a snootier Emmerich. Even when I'm liking his ideas (Lockout, District 13) he never really elevates them above just "a cool concept". The way the review makes it sound, Valerian turned out exactly how I imagined it would.
Look, The Fifth Element is so perfect that it plays on the TV in bars here in NYC on a loop- because it's such a wonderful cult classic and Every Single Character is beloved and wonderful and great!!! You speak ill of Ruby Rod and you lose my love!!!
I think the film would've worked MUCH better had it been just a series of little adventures that Valerian and Laureline went on, INCLUDING the Rihana scene. Sure it wouldn't have a cohesive narrative, but at least it would have been fun all the way through rather than just some scenes here and there.
all hail the Cecil!
The only trailer for it I've seen, Cara Delavine (not a spelling test) says something like, "You've never met a human woman before." That one line was so bad I decided not to see it. I'm with you, I really really wanted to like it. But I always think they choose the best of what they've got for the trailers and when the lines from the trailers are bad it is an omen for the rest of the movie. I did want to see it so I reserved judgment until I watched your review so thanks for the video :)
I really enjoyed Lucy and Ruby Rod makes me laugh. I agree with pretty much the rest of what you say, tho.
It's so dense, every frame has so much going on
Just watched it last night and was taken aback at how bland and generic most of the dialog was. They skipped over developing the main characters instead just gave us a bland exposition dump. Didn't know where the focus of the film was, the aliens which would have worked better or the main characters who were no doing it for me ever. Had some cool technical ideas and visual design.
I'm a big fan of the old comic books, and I had high hopes for this movie.
The visuals are gorgeous and the world building is fantastic, just as in the source material. The "romantic banter" was entirely created for the movie, so the blame goes 100% to Luc Besson on this. He probably thought it would be more appealing to young adults this way.
An interesting difference from the comic books is the gender dynamics. In the comic, Valerian is kidnapped along with the VIP (who is an ambassador and not a general). Valerian is indeed a loyal soldier and sticks with the VIP to protect him. Laureline is left behind, and it is she who tracks down the VIP and Valerian and explores the intergalactic UN-space station. Yes, she even sleeps with the shapeshifting prostitute, but it's not a big deal.
In other words: The 1975 space opera comic book is more modern than the movie.
As much as you hate Ruby Rod, I feel double about Rihanna's character. Not Rihanna, but the character she plays. A prostitute with a heart of gold who dies happily, so the hero can learn from her sacrifice and grow?!?!?! Bleargxjsdhuh I'm nauseous!
We have something besides star wars and Star trek... The Expanse! Amazing show
Everyone and their mom and dog loves Ruby Rod. He gave the film a lot more of a unique twist that worked in tandem with the wit and humor of the movie that made it as memorable as it is. I swear sometimes this guys opinions just sound downright dumb.
Cecil, you've made moving to Hong Kong easier :) binging on your videos none stop for the last 3 months!!
Thanks! Hope all is well there!
What you talking about? LOL Ruby Rod was the heart of the movie. LOL
I know a lot of people liked him, I just couldn't stand him. If it was small doses fine, but he was in the movie more than Bruce Willis at one point.
Valerian isn't bad, it's just okay which is its greatest sin for a film with this kind of budget. However it's visually stunning.
Have you seen Besson's Extraordinary adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec adaptation? It wears on a little towards the end, but it's very sharply funny and just a little darker than expected, but seeing him direct in his own language he just seems far better at drawing good performances out of his cast.
1) Special Effects: Check
2) Bad Dialogue: Check
3) Bland Delivery of Dialogue: Check
4) Boring Moments: Check
5) Stuff Happening, non plot related: Check
6) Hire actors that are trying to make a name for themselves: Check
7) Mostly Depend on CGI and special effects: Check
8) Make another Summer Blockbuster or try at least: Check
I loved Ruby Rod and I like him more as time goes on.
You know when Rihannaa's acting is the best thing in the movie, then its a stinker. The visuals are crazy good.
It took some time for me to get used to Dane DeHaan's drugged-up Dude-Bro take on Valerian, but I did and ended up liking him well enough in the role. No, Valerian and Laureline were as far from their comic and animated(there was an animated French-Japanese co-produced TV series back in 2007) counterparts, but this was Luc Besson trying to make the characters his own. He may not have succeeded but I grew to enjoy them. I did not laugh at the humorous moments but I did chuckle a bit. All-in-all it's a visual feast of a film and I'm glad I saw it(though I did it for free so there's that). I'll check it out once more, perhaps it will get better on repeat viewings. I really enjoyed the animated series and just bought it on DVD so I'll always have that and the original comics which I've picked up 3 trades for and have a standing order for the rest at my local comic shop.
Bummer. I had a feeling that it would be style over substance, considering the source material was a sort of trashy pulp comic: amazing visual design, but a jerk hot shot. Influence on The Fifth Element is obvious just looking at the trailer for Valerian, so I figured your take-away would be exactly what you said it would be. Oh well.
Your review is pretty much spot on. I caught the movie at the very first showing in my area, and essentially warned all my friends off it.
It's always great watching your reviews
:)
The Fifth Element is my favorite movie of all time. And Ruby Rhos is perfect what he's meant to be. Just look at the most subbed channels on TH-cam. Loud and obnoxious. Future entertainment is going the Ruby way.
Even with all the bad, if they replaced the two main actors with just about anyone else it could have worked in some way.
I lost interest in the movie the second i saw the two leads in the trailer. saw it later down the line only for that to confirm with me that they didn't have casting down at all for the film.
Saw it yesterday and you pretty much captured my feeling towards the movie. However I think Clive Owen was a cookie cutter badguy who hardly ever showed up, and it was refreshing to not have a movie constantly nudging you to reference something else (besides the Jessica rabbit thing).
It took forever to get any sense of urgency and danger in this movie. I almost fell asleep in the seemingly never ending act 2
Hi. I just got back from seeing this movie, and watching reviews of it like yours is now my catharsis. One of my friends noted that I spent a lot of the movie's runtime with my head down, that'll tell you all you need to know about how I felt about it.
I love how the TV show Archer makes infighting and action work.
The 5th Element was the reason why I thought we would have flying cars past 2000 lmao
They spent 209 million dollar on this dumpster fire. Unreal.
Finally watched this. This is honestly the first time I've been seriously tempted to stop watching a movie - and I sat through Manos-Hands of Fate (admittedly on MST3K and even that was tough). I could not get away from the impression that the script was written by a pre-teen doing her version of Twilight in Space with the "morals" of Avatar. It was so full of clichés and eye-roll-inducing dialogue. I love Besson's work and this movie was gorgeous, but beautiful $#!* is still $#!*. I can see how it was trying to be 5th Element, but falling flat on its face - aside from the visuals.
Rihanna has a habit of showing up in bad scifi movies.
Too bad for the movie
Two movies don't make a tendency. And in a world where the godawful serious Marvel movies are liked one can't call Battleship and Valerian bad, at least they're servicable.
Simple fix, Clive Owen as Valerian! Dehaan as a veteran elite soldier? Didn't buy it.
I heard a saying years ago about models, how they are so skinny they can't walk like normal people. They just have weird posture. I kept thinking that during the film "Fight? They can barely walk!"
Seems like I am the only person on earth that liked Valerian a lot.
And the studio geniuses decided to put this across from the Nolen long awaited movie DUNKIRK which has a lot of good reviews and was an excellent movie which didn't help them wanting people to see this if one had to choose one over the other, I went to see DUNKIRK and am glad I did.
This will end up being a cult classic like Fifth Element. I enjoyed the heck out of this movie. It's not perfect, but I was engaged the entire time and want to see it again.
The perfect Valerian, was a young Bruce Campbell.
PERFECT.
But Dane... No. Just npoe.
I definitely agree with you, I think Luc Besson is very hit or miss as a filmmaker
I'm pretty sure I finished watching this movie but I cant remember how it ended or what was the plot even. I also liked Rihannas part but I also have a bit of a crush on her. ^^
Watching valerian is like watching art. Dont listen, just watch.
Also cara looks stunning throughout the movie.
I believe they thought the lead actor would work for a younger audience
Stunning? Completely disagree
A movie with a lot of potential going waste is just SAD.
I liked it. It was trying to do something new visually (in contrast to Soviet Disney that doesn't attempt anything interesting visually/conceptually with Marvel/Star Wars). I thought the generic plot was a good thing, instead of another complex story that often writes itself into a corner. The video pointed out everything that was terrible about it, but I was still entertained
This is just like one of my Japanese animes. An androgynous main character, weird aliens, wild colors.
Wow just wow.
Google the comic. It is from the 60s and is a french comic and George Lucas Stole the entire visuals to Star Wars from the comics...
Google it and see
Considering how much Franco-Belgan comics influenced manga and anime you're not far off.
Unlike,say,your German anime?
ayyy I got that reference
GET A GRIP, OTACON!
Love the intro of this movie, and its a cheesy stupid sci fi action flick. James Bond in space. Better than so many other hollywood movies.
Completely agree with you about Ruby Rod. Glad I skipped Valerian.
Ruby was amazing!
I loved this movie! I think this is a clear example of a movie junkie problem, you watched and analyze so many that you stop enjoying the good random action ass films like this one.
I wanted to do a little thing about not understanding why people sometimes just refuse to suspend their disbelief, but then I remembered that I do that with the godawful serious Marvel movies :-)
Your reviews are spot on
hey cecil can i ask you something?
i know this question already outdated and nothing to do with this video
but did you watch ghostbuster reboot?
if you do what your opinion about that?
We need a good fucking serious mature rated R Sci fi space adventure movie
Shot thx for the memo bro. This looked kinda cool in the trailer, but I could almost sense the problems you outlined here. Good to know.
I completely agree with every single word you said in this review. It was exacly that what i felt too! Very surprising, actually!
Haha loved Valerian but can't stand Ruby Rodd. Sure the dialogue is clichéd and Dehaan is kinda miscast but thought Cara was fantastic. Embrace the clichés and you will enjoy it :D
Nice shot of the 5th Element taxi easter egg at 0:55...by the lower right corner...
Ha ha so it's not just me who loathes Ruby Rod then lol I was hoping this was going to be good, I'm a massive Rutger Hauer fan and was looking forward to seeing him back up on the big screen, but if he's only in it for a cameo, that's definitely quelled my excitement for it. Cheers for the info, Cecil I think I'll give this one a miss.
About to see the film. So far I've read some of the comics and seen some episodes of the tv show and i'm starting to get the feeling the show was better than the movie.
Remember when I used to dislike "Space Truckers"? The movie with 9% or something on Rotten Tomatoes?
There, that movie has similar esthetics of "The Fifth Element" and while some of the jokes aren't as funny as the writers thought they were, at least the movie had an understandable plot, protagonists that were good enough to follow and was way shorter and better paced. Honestly "Space Truckers" for being 9% is more competent than most SciFi and blockbusters coming out in these years. It really is.
The robot soldiers in Valerian made me think of the cyborgs in Space Truckers
Just saw it today, wish I hadn't. I agree with everything you said except about Rihanna's character. I did like the character and agreed about the annoyance at her dance, but her exit from the movie was abrupt, confusing, and completely wtf. I mean, she was in the movie for maybe 10 minutes and she gets a profound Yoda like exit. What was all that about? Seriously. Was it a comic reference that went over my head or something? It annoyed me quite a bit.
I honestly REALLY enjoyed this movie. Were there some issues with this movie? Sure. They ran a typical plot line ok but I still thought it was great. Honestly since this is a multi book series type thing like the HARRY POTTER movies were (THE ADVENTURES OF VALLERIAN AND LAURALIE. I did some research. roughly 7+ books. books are still being made. latest came out 2016) I think this may be just as good as the HARRY POTTER movies were. I am sure the two main characters will grow in character development. This was just the first movie (maybe?) so I think people shouldn't be so judgemental.
Does it explain why the two main actors needed to appear to be children? When it first made the rounds, I thought it was a kids movie because valarians actor looked like a kid.
I could not agree with your review more...I saw it last night and hated almost every moment of it. It's absolutely bafflingly miscast it was unreal. Is Dane Dehaan constantly on drugs? Will Rhianna ever learn to act? Why is the film over 2 hours long? The whole time I saw the film all I could think of was The Phantom Menace...I couldn't wait for it to end. Side Note...majorly upset that Eric Sierra did not do the score - just another "blah" moment in this tepid waste of celluloid.
Mannn, he really used the dad-line "I'm not angry, just disappointed"😉
I have never seen this film but am going to watch it today. From the looks of it the film looks similar to Fifth element which was tribute homage type movie to scifi classics and science fiction except done in the style of bubblegum pop movie.
Visually its very creative and unique. The story and some of the acting is awful.
@@GoodBadFlicks I am going to try to go into the film from the point of view of how I feel like this director sees scifi stuff. I get the feeling he doesnt really take science fiction that serious and is more interested in just creating Quirky silly over the top scifi worlds for fun. As a movie I felt like Fifth element was little all over the place but seemed like it wanted to create its own unique feeling world and film. So I will try to see this film in that way but im not sure it will have that B movie charm I liked in Fifth Element.