Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - Review

Before we get into the review proper I would like to warn everyone that I will be making many comparisons to The Fifth Element. This is because Valerian and The Fifth Element are very similar especially because Luc Besson has directed both of them and that The Fifth Element is heavily inspired by the Valerian comics.

Valerian is one of the better films of 2017 which makes it sad that it has tanked at the box office because I would love to see a sequel to this film but unfortunately we may never get a sequel. In short Valerian is a movie that feels like a movie and that is more than can be said for other films within the past eight months. Valerian is by no means a perfect movie and I was ready to discredit the entire film from the first frame because it played a David Bowie song but as the film went on I found myself engaged in the film. Here is the big thing about Valerian it has an identity which, again, is more than can be said for the majority of recent films. Valerian feels like its own film which is heavily inspired by other movies including Besson's own Fifth Element but the film has colour, it builds a universe and most importantly to me it feels big.

I do have negatives towards Valerian but most of them are quelled by the positives I have with the film but problems do exist. Some of the camera work could have been better with many of the shots feeling loose and having a strange micro zoom which was odd, the other major problem I have with this film is that it can drag at points especially towards the end where it just keeps going and going which I feel could have been tightened but like I said the rest of the film makes up for this.

The story of Valerian is decent enough and does do a good job of keeping the audience somewhat engaged in the film but its the visuals that are most impressive with this film, nowhere near the pinnacle of visual effects but certainly very good and interesting. Although I feel the visual style of Valerian is lacking when compared to The Fifth Element which really felt like a realised world and universe whereas Valerian does feel a lot more generic but good nonetheless.

The performances in Valerian are mixed but overall no one was bad other than Ethan Hawke and Rihanna who were not as solid as the others and their scene really stops the film and kills all the pace just to show off that the film has a pop star, you could compare it to the Ruby Rhod character in The Fifth Element but at least that works within the context of the film and does add to the world whereas in Valerian it does kill all momentum of the story. The two leads were fine but I felt lacked any charisma that could have elevated this movie just think of Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman in The Fifth Element. Other than that the performances were all serviceable and did not detract from the film.

Overall Valerian is a film I enjoyed but does have problems with pacing and acting but it is an enjoyable film that you should at least watch once. If you have seen The Fifth Element it would be worth checking this out because it does feel like a watered down Fifth Element. Certainly give Valerian a watch. Just don't expect the next Star Wars.

7.5/10

Written By
Ashley Harvey

Atlantis: The Lost Disney Movie

Before I say anything specific about Atlantis just know that you should watch this film as soon as you can because in all honesty it may be one of the best Disney movies and certainly one of the biggest surprises I have had in a long time. I am honestly shocked that people do not discuss this one as much as they would discuss Pocahontas or Tarzan, not to say that those films are bad but Atlantis is far more interesting of a movie than those are certainly does not feel like a typical animated feature from Disney.

This is one of Disney's most striking animated features both on a story and visual level and I think might be the high point of Disney animation. This film is very different tonally to other Disney animated films because this deals more with discovery and adventure instead of a traditional love story, it does have romantic elements but the majority of the film is centered around Milo and his obsession with finding Atlantis. In terms of visuals there is something about Atlantis that just sets it apart, I think colours play a major part in the unique visuals of this film especially the look of the Atlantians with their grey skin and white hair,  its really rather striking and this is what makes Kida such an interesting Disney Princess. Her look is so visually stunning yet Disney have forgotten her and it appears that they will no effort to remind people of this film which is a shame because this is one of the better Disney movies.

I think this film is unfairly treated by Disney because if they did put out merchandise for this film, especially in this culture of collecting, I think that they could do a lot with Atlantis. As I have said before Kida is the most unique Disney Princess because of her design and her character and introducing this character to a younger audience could allow Disney to make more money on merchandising.

Overall I think that everyone should watch Atlantis because it does deserve a second chance, if you allow yourself to understand that this is not Tarzan or Mulan then I truly think that more and more people will highly rate Atlantis. I just find it funny that the film about something lost in time became lost itself.

8/10

Written By
Ashley Harvey