In Luc Besson’s sci-fi adventure set in Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets, special operatives Valerian and Laureline must find a dark force that is threatening the city and safeguard the future of the universe. There is clearly a large amount of ambition in this film that we don’t see in many movies today, and Luc Besson had a huge vision of this universe he adapted to the big screen from a French comic book series. The CGI effects in this movie are excellent, and many shots are incredible to look at. The setting of Alpha, which has planets with many different looks, is brought to life beautifully and feels like something out of a Star Trek or Star Wars movie, and so is a magnificently looking scene towards the beginning which feels almost like something out of Avatar. However, when put together with the pratical sets and effects in the film, which are minimal, that’s when the visual appeal often comes off as messy, since it’s so easy to tell what’s real and what’s fake. The action gives some great entertainment, especially when put together with the visuals, and Besson also knows what music to use in certain scenes, including some of my favorite songs like “Space Oddity” and “Stayin’ Alive”. The part the film struggles most with is the plot. The story starts off fine and somewhat exciting, but eventually more plot points get thrown in until it gets too convoluted to enjoy. I wasn’t expecting much from the trailers but at least I was able to get some entertaining sequences. I liked Besson’s approach to the world building and visual environment of the film, but the script fails to bring anything humurous or original like it tries to be. There is a plot twist thrown in towards the end of the movie that I saw coming from miles away, and although I understood the message Besson tried to convey with what is actually happening in the film, the villain reveal was extremely predictable from the moment I saw that character on screen. The original comic books inspired the look and feel of the classic 1977 Star Wars, and this movie actually had good potential to become another great intergalactic film franchise in that same genre, but with the underwhelming writing and poor critical and box office performances, I highly doubt that will happen.

The main characters of Valerian and Laureline could have been wonderfully thought of protagonists, and I bet they are that way in the source material. Unfortunately, we are given no backstory on who these characters are and how they met, and the chemistry between the two lead actors is weak, as the romantic development between them and the development of them as the “buddy cop” duo of the film is unimaginative and hard to care for. Cara Delevingne was well-cast and delivered an amusing performance as the badass female character who has lots of heart, but Dane DeHaan is miscast and failed to deliver in the titular role. He gave the role his best, and he’s not a bad actor, but the role didn’t suit him as I didn’t feel like I could connect at all to the character with the lack of emotion he brought. Rihanna thankfully didn’t have a big role in the movie, and although her character has a fun concept and a cool scene in which she’s introduced, don’t expect this to be too big of an improvement on her awful performance in Battleship, in terms of acting. There’s also a certain well-known actor in the movie that the trailers did a good job of hiding, and although he’s more talented than all the other actors in the film, he’s completely wasted in a small and forgettable role. This movie tries to be huge, as this is both the most expensive European and independent film ever made. That may sound like this movie promises big things, but it’s ultimately crammed and although often entertaining, I did not find myself too impressed by Valerian, besides for the great CG-visuals.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets has tons of great ambition and visual effects, as well as some very surprisingly entertaining scenes, but the plot and cast distract from the good this film has to offer, and make this movie an uninspired, although somewhat delightful mess that will only truly satisfy those looking for good action and terrific visual appeal.

An arrogant yet skilled former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.

Has Marvel or any superhero film ever created something as visually spectacular as Doctor Strange? The answer is no. Doctor Strange is immersive, breathtaking, and more visually impressive than almost any film this year, nearly on par with Disney’s The Jungle Book. As our hero, Stephen Strange, explores vast dimensions in our universe, we are presented some marvelous effects, like nothing I thought I’d ever see in a superhero movie. From a visual standpoint, this movie is so different than what you’d usually expect from a Marvel movie, as buildings change their physical form and sorcerers travel from one continent to another in the blink of an eye. The visual concepts in this movie even feel like nods to dimensional sci-fi films such as The Matrix, Inception, and Interstellar. Doctor Strange introduces the world of magic into the Marvel universe, expanding limitations of what to expect in future films. As well as tie-ins with previous films, Doctor Strange is interesting to watch as its own story, as our protagonist goes from selfish and conceited to protective and selfless. Speaking of Dr. Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch does a phenomenal job playing him, witty and fun as the cocky and brilliant surgeon who reminded me so much of the actor’s titular role in Sherlock. He brings so much life and personality to the role and I think he was cast perfectly to play him. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s character definitely has one of the more complex character arcs in the MCU, and his performance is quite interesting as well. Rachel McAdams plays a less formulaic female character who felt more like an actual person than a typical superhero female lead, as the marketing hinted she would be. Another remarkable cast member was Benedict Wong as a no-nonsense but I expected Tilda Swinton’s role to be one of the most interesting characters in the film, but instead she’s hardly given anything to do, and her connection to the main villain was borrowed and cliched. The villain is unfortunately not as memorable and well-developed as I hoped he would be, and his writing and plot are the weakest part of the film. Some of the plot points feel too predictable and borrowed to be acknowledged, but the story is overall intriguing and the visual payoff is beautiful. It’s definitely worth paying for to watch in 3D. Also, there are two post-credit scenes that tease what Marvel will bring next, that you should definitely stay for.

Doctor Strange is an epic, mind-blowing adventure that isn’t like anything Marvel has brought to us before. The story has some minor problems, but the visual quality alone makes this movie worth seeing and enjoying on the big screen.