Sure, a movie critic could come in and pick Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets apart, frame by frame. One thing that won't be a part of that discussion is the visuals. The film takes you on a tour from scene to jawdropping scene. You'll explore a space beach with titanic seashells decorating the water. Oceanic depths where alien creatures abide. Chase scenes with so many visuals you will blink and miss something. Director Luc Besson has never been one to shortchange creativity and Valerian is no exception.
The visuals go a lot further than the actual depth of the movie and that's a part of the problem. Valerian is pretty straightforward so don't expect a whole lot of twists and turns. It felt like Besson was trying to get from Point A to Point B with as straight of a formulaic arrow as possible. Mind you, there are other films that do the same. John Wick is the most recent that comes to mind. However, when you take this approach everything else has to be spectacular in order for the film to work. That doesn't quite happen here.
The main characters, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) were about as deep as cardboard. They were there for one thing and one thing only: advance the plot. Not sure if it was the acting or the poor script, but the execution could have been so much better. Going back to John Wick, Wick's character has a similar lack of depth, but he's got something the rest of the audience can reach for and relate to: Rage. He's beyond angry and you get it. You root for him to see his rage and revenge exacted. With Valerian and Laureline, on the other hand, there's not enough motivation to really care about what happens to these characters. Not to mention, they have zero chemistry yet viewers are supposed to believe there is a spark of romance there.
Regarding the plot, a dark threat is trying to attack the City of Alpha and Valerian and Laureline have to get to the bottom of it. The film doesn't do everything wrong, which is the reason I didn't rate it lower. The action is fun at times. You'll also find yourself laughing a bit if you like a drier wit. A few tweaks would have made the film as good as its visuals. As it stands, I give it a 75.
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