Valerian: Why was it such a flop?
In the summer of 2017, the space opera Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was finally released. Directed by Luc Besson, the movie follows the two protagonists, Valerian and Laureline, in a tense intergalactic adventure that covers the themes of racial genocide and nuclear warfare. And, not only was the script written by the director himself, Besson, personally dedicated over 200 million dollars to the film's budget, making Valerian the most expensive independent film ever.
But if Valerian was so great, why did it flop? I’ll be going list-style, so please hang on.
Casting
Valerian featured actor Dane Dehaan as the main protagonist in the story, as well as model-to-actress Cara Delevigne as his partner. Although both Dehaan and Delevigne are stellar actors, many consider Besson’s choice for Valerian a casting mishap. Primarily, fans have questioned Dehaan’s role as Valerian, pointing out the clear dissonance between the actor’s youthful, GenZ appearance (and voice) with his role as an intergalactic superspy. As for Delevigne, many critique her portrayal of the character Laureline due to her lack of experience in the field. In sum, both the actors, for varying reasons, were buried underneath the glamor of the fantasy environment around them, making it difficult for them to shine.
However, the issue extends beyond the actors’ skill sets. The story of Valerian follows the two protagonists’ relationship, displaying themes of sacrifice, love, and conflict. Thus, to successfully communicate such themes, the two actors needed to demonstrate a “spark” or “chemistry” throughout the film. However, viewers have noted that this spark seems absent and the two characters seem like they’re “fake dating” or are “on a business trip”. Overall, casting mishaps have been noted as one of the main factors that caused the film to lack buzz before its release, causing it to “flop”.
Screenplay
It may not be right to place all the blame on the actors for the lack of chemistry, as the awkward dialogue and phrasing in Besson’s screenplay seem to have played a large role too. Valerian and Laureline's relationship is a complicated one and can be described as a typical teenage situationship in today's world. To reflect this, the dialogue consists of silly banter and several inside jokes. Besson has tried his best to depict this sense of sarcasm but has failed to truly encompass the GenZ dating scene today, as his quips have been criticized for being curt (and delivered poorly).
Aside from the dialogue itself, many have also criticized the general story progression of the screenplay. Typically, many screenplays follow a three-act structure that causes the main story to focus on one event, casting details to the side for heightened audience engagement with the bigger picture. However, Besson’s script for Valerian has been described as being clunky and disjointed, with a speedy pace and overwhelmingly many details and side stories. The movie is packed with narrative elements, and each environment and character seems like it could be a movie of its own. In sum, many audience members have felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of story packed into two short hours, leading many to quit watching midway. A good example of this would be the character “Bubble”, played by Rihanna, who is stuck in the red-light district, longing to go home. The audience is introduced to her about 50 minutes into the movie, and learns about her backstory, only for her to get killed 30 minutes later. Besson could have done so much more with the character but decided to move on for the sake of speed and even more characters. Overall, Besson’s plot is flawed and seeks maximum efficiency, sacrificing many crucial elements including character depth, natural dialogue, and comprehensible story structure.
Conclusion
Valerian is beautiful. The movie uses cutting-edge CGI to portray jaw-dropping fantastical settings and action scenes. From alien beaches with pearls for sand, to glow-in-the-dark forests, the movie’s worldbuilding does not disappoint. And this is why Valerian would make a better art book than a movie. Perhaps such attention to detail and creativity on the part of Besson stifled the other factors that go into making a good movie, such as the ones mentioned above. Obsession has led to his downfall. Major focus on the outer spectacle has caused its director, Besson, to miss out on the more intimate, inner beauties such as character and plot. Nevertheless, Valerian is a great film that should be more recognized in the film community, and its worldbuilding should more than definitely be admired across the globe.