One of the interesting things about this is that the comic was definitely an inspiration for a lot of space operas, but now that the movie is out people say it’s clearly inspired by this space opera or that space opera even though the source material is earlier than them. But they are also partly right of course. It is inspired by those things. Makes an interesting circle.
@@johnnyjohnson6643 Sadly yes, I was thinking that as well. I thought _John Carter_ was decent, sort of expected they would've changed Dejah Thoris from her literary damsel-in-distress motif, but every time I saw Taylor Kitsch on screen I just couldn't stand him, his voice, his acting. If they got someone else, I think it might've helped but it would've been compared to all those that were inspired by the "Barsoom" series.
They're saying the same thing about Alita: Battle Angle, that it copied all the other movies like it... Since it was true to the source material from 1990, it shows many people don't know what they're talking about! One day they'll do a movie based on Gibson's Neuromancer and say it ripped off the Matrix!
Star Wars being the big example of movie ripping off the source comics. It's sufficiently different from the comics to not be a ripoff, but it owes so much to the Valerian comics.
The thing that bugged me about this movie was that as a long-time reader of the comics I didn't recognize the main characters. In the comics, Valerian is actually kind of a laidback chill dude - he gets nervous and intense in violent situations, but he hates violence and isn't really a womanizer or all creeper on Laureline. And Laureline isn't coolly snarky, she's kind of the thinker and rogue (they first met in the Middle Ages, she was a peasant and thief, yes, she's from the past, there's a lot of time travel in the comics due to the writers actually stopping to consider FTL). So the aggressive not-taking-no-for-an-answer dudebro Valerian from the movie is kind of far from the aimless, spaced out Valerian I remember from the comics - the dude who when asked how he'd direct the path of a species (it was a test) basically went "I dunno...do what you wanna do?" Hell, in the comics Laureline was the one first pursuing *him* and he was clueless about it even though he was openly attracted to her.
This exactly. Comic Valerian and Movie Valerian have zero in common with each other. Also not at all helped by Dane DeHaan looking and sounding like he only just got past puberty. Also not helped by Rihanna.
@@Selestrielle Nah, that's straight-up Luc Besson being bad at showing sane romance (see every movie he ever made). Comics Valerian might have a thing for his co-worker but he's not aggressive about it. The earliest comics he was even a bit of a "Rules are rules" sort of guy who followed orders and was polite to his superiors. Then he got disillusioned and relaxed.
Swedish translation added a little snark to Laureline but it still worked pretty well, especially as a balance to Valerian being totally by-the-book, stoic action hero type and his whole story arch where he's falling apart during the later events.
Gorgeous, gorgeous movie with a supremely punch-able dude lead character. (Seriously Valerian, get entirely the heck over your dingdang self.) Glad you folks found a lot to love about it!
I grew up reading Valérian et Laureline as a kid alongside Astérix et Obélix and I was so happy when I saw this film was coming out, I think it really did work as a sort of introduction to the rich world that exists. Its problem - and I think the American 'reboot' of Ghost in the Shell suffered the same problem - is how do you cram nearly 50 years' worth of comics into a single film for yahoots that don't know it. I think Dane wasn't the best choice of actor for Valérian personally, but, I think Cara did a pretty good job of playing Laureline. I don't know many others that grew up reading the comics, but, I hope they liked seeing our favourite Earthly outerworldly heroes brought to live on the silver screen.
Yeah I definitely feel that Dane was the weakest link in the entire movie. The way he plays Valerian is just so unlikeable. It works for other movies he has been in, but like what Miles said, focus on everything else but the main characters; which i feel can imply that if this Valerian happened to be more tropey/more 'flawed but likeable' it might have been a better fit.
Wasn't Laureline from Napoleon-era France? I might be TOTALLY off the mark here but I recall there being time _and_ space shenanigans in that series, like a French Doctor Who.
I loved that movie when it came out. I'd rather watch a movie that is good in spite of itself over just a good movie. It is like the Forest God thing from Hellboy. A destructive yet mystical being whose blood creates this alien forest life. Scary yet awesome.
Your final point about how this movie is best if you're looking at every part of this film that isn't the main characters really rings true. This movie fell flat for me in theaters because compared to the sheer joy and craftsmanship of the entire rest of the movie, Valerian and Laureline possess neither chemistry nor charisma.
I had exactly the same reaction. There are some films for me which are "rpg movies" like friends reccomens films to me by saying "you will want to base an rpg on it"
I remember when this was in theaters and the biggest thing people were complaining about was how Valerian seemed like a Mary Sue for someone so young, but completely missed the fact that rejuvenation technology exists in this universe and was shown on screen. The world did not deserve this film
@@StanNotSoSaint you can try to rationalize that all you want, that scene just didn't translate well. DC rushed an entire cinematic universe to get to the end of a story, for some reason, and then tried to make this big moment mean something they didn't earn. You can save the college essay on what it meant to Bruce and why it completely changed his motivations and goal in an instant, I get it and it was still stupid.
@@StanNotSoSaint it didn't work. Hence the name heard round the world, "Martha". It was a terrible scene people bent over backwards to justify. That's the entire point. If not working. It not being earned. It being ultimately stupid in context.
recently someone asked on twitter "what is the most beautiful film you've ever seen", first thing that came to mind was this. what can compare other than some animation? the opening water world alone! sigh PARADISE. i would live there
Im so fuckin hype SOMEONE is talking about this movie. Like it felt like nobody remembered it when it came out, so anytime i bring it up, no one knows what im talkin about
I remember seeing the trailer for this film and saying literally, "I wanna see this just to SEE this." I did eventually watch it on a place of all places and was blown away for sure.
I watched this movie a year ago and all I’ve been thinking since is “Man, I can’t wait for the Deep Dive for this one! Y’all are gonna flip!” The other thing I kept thinking while watching Dane as Valerian was “Space Cop Johnny Utah”
A deep dive on one of my favorite Besson films? OMG thank you! These thanks are years after the fact, but damn I wish I'd seen this years ago. I left this dive thinking OMG I HAVE FOUND MY TRIBE!
I remember going into Valerian back then assuming I would get more of The Fifth Element. What I got was so much more. And Rutger "Hobo with a Shotgun" Hauer got a cameo as a hologram in the beginning!!!
Hehe. I did the same thing. Checked it out on Prime Video. Had a blast of a time and then came back here to relive the whole experience again. So I had twice to fun with this one. It's not great movie, but very entertaining and gorgeous. And I liked Bubble, cause she was a great shapeshifter character.
Does Thaziit remind anyone else of Matt Mercer’s quirkier merchants on Critical Role? Because I’m getting severe “gunpowder merchant” flashbacks from Campaign 1.
How on earth did Valerian end up in the box?! It's a wonderful film. It reminded me of Star Wars. Of that experience of watching Star Wars for the very first time. The awe. The wonder. The world it builds. Yes. Too ambitious. But oh so wonderful. It should be a big budget TV show with many, many episodes. Also, no mentions of the Star Wars connection?
Got me all excited and it was a premiere thing 😭 I liked this movie I just really felt like Dane Dehaan was TOTALLY miscast! I think another person would have made the movie as a whole way better. There was really cool stuff going on in this film
Hell yeah, I agree with the general sentiment. This is a perfect movie for the show because it's adorably quirky and fun, it just couldn't put together a good trailer and due to some... eh... uneven choices it just didn't build enough word of mouth buzz to make a comeback. If any of the guys are seeing it for the first time I think we'll get some proper filmjoy out of this one.
OK, I was thinking Miles Luna was maybe a bit too present and eager to steal the show for a guest star, but then he pronounced "horchata" correctly, so now I'm back on board.
"Too present and eager" is Miles' whole thing. It's not for everyone but it's never malintended. He's what happens if a puppy was a person. Been watching him for ages
To explain European comics a bit more: it's not driven by the publisher. In fact, publishers don't have a shared world, like in the USA. There is maybe one editor for the comic, the main people involved are the writer and the artist. One artist, who does all art: drawing, inking, colouring & text. And there are no creative retreats (to bash out what the company will do the coming year: it's all creator-driven. As such, you have much less restraint in our comics and that means a lot of freedom. Quite like manga. But with colour.
The way the film is just stacked with casual murder bothered me a lot, too; as someone for whom the Valerian comics were an enormous, moving experience, I was especially frustrated, because while characters do sometimes die in the books--some even get killed by Valerian or Laureline--there isn't this sense of almost gleeful sadism we see in Valerian and Laureline in the movie. One of the marks of the books is how Valerian and Laureline learn to value life apart from their duty as space agents. In the end of their 40-year comics story, they save time and space for everyone in the universe--a kind of selfless act of compassion this movie seems incapable of imagining. The sadism really comes from Luc Besson. The other thing about the books that felt really off in the movie is the relationship between Valerian and Laureline; Valerian is time/space agent, who discovered Laureline in the middle-ages. She was turned into a unicorn, read his mind, figured out he was from the future, and demanded he take her there. Their relationship is romantic from the start, with problems that chart the evolving relationships of men & women over the 20th century. Laureline is take-charge, clever, imaginative and capable--and Valerian frequently misses this, which is a source of a lot of humor in the books. Valerian himself is a dope, but he always figures out why he's being a dope and solves it by the end of the book. Well, he usually does. Anyways, the characters are portrayed as a bit older in the comic, and that helps their relationship seem more interesting. Dane Dehane is absolutely wrong for the role of Valerian. Cara Delvigne is okay, I guess, but she doesn't seem to me to have great material. The Laureline of the books is allowed to be wittier and more subtle. The visual invention of the movie...all of it except the crazy market--comes directly out of the Valerian & Laureline comics, and one in particular: it's the one they're mostly adapting for this movie, Ambassador of the Shadows. These books had that mind-boggling visual imagination, coupled with the creators' abilities to imagine really fully-fledged alien races and their societies. And it shouldn't go unremarked-upon that the Valerian books are a clear visual reference point for the later Star Wars movies. In fact, both Lucas and Disney rob these books of imagery and ideas constantly. The shape of the Millenium Falcon, Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, Darth Vader's look, along with the removal of his helmet to reveal a wizened face underneath, Leah's brass bikini and the gate to Jabba's palace in Return of the Jedi...all the way to the floating city of Exogol in Rise of Skywalker--an image taken directly from the Valerian & Laureline book The Order of the Stones. But these are great books, way more sophisticated, imaginative and interesting than the movies that draw upon them for inspiration (the cabs in Besson's own The Fifth Element are also stolen from the V & L book, The Circles of Power). They don't end like this movie does, with Valerian going into several gleeful sequences of mass slaughter. That's not what these stories are, and it really, REALLY bugged me.
One of the most gorgeous accomplishments of visual design ever, wrapped around an utter trainwreck of a plot and two leads with negative charisma or chemistry. So much eye candy, so little everything else.
This was a great bad film. Like many Luc Besson creations, just when you think it's turning into a work of genius, something happens that's offensively idiotic.
When the movie ended the first thing in the credits was "Directed by Luc Besson" and I was like yup, that checks out. And then it went "Screenplay by Luc Besson" and like... that explains a lot.
@@satireknight For starters. But I was more thinking that love is the consistent theme of most of his movies (that I've seeen.) Yet his understanding of love is similar to the understanding of feminism in the movie Showgirls.
You are all perfect delights! I used to be vaguely disappointed when movies I like were the subject of Deep Dive but ALWAYS LOVE the positive take-aways. :) This time I remembered to be excited and only a little nervous that another movie I like was on the docket :)
My thought was that if ANYTHING ever deserved the kind of treatment that was shown in 'ready player 1' it was this. I went to see ' the 5th element' two days in a row in the cinema the weekend it came out because I wanted to focus on the background, as if it were a real place I could explore. This was like that to the power of a thousand.
I now want this whole group to review every movie. They are full of fantastic insights that work for the story at hand. That said, I see that they are the ideal group for this review as it is a convoluted non stop story that is very Luc Besson. Of course Luc Besson was the reason to watch it. He is the reason I watched it.
The balance of beauty is what drew me to this... Something to consider about Valerian, when Laureline is running around trying not to get her head cut off, she's screaming for him to come save her... She didn't know he was there, it was just her faith that he had her covered. You assume he paused because he's an ass, I think the pause was the director's way of showing the mutual trust they had. She saved him under pressure in the inter-dimensional thing when his hand was trapped in the box. He saved her in this place which took a lot of work just to get inside of.
Commenting before watching because I'm a wrong'un. I saw this at the cinema and my memory of it is that the main part of the film is a bit rubbish but the first five minutes were genuinely beautiful. Let's see what the team think
Great video, as always! I feel like the film's failure to launch (eh? ehhhh?) was fourfold: 1) Not a recognized IP outside of Western Europe; 2) Neither Dane DeHaan nor Cara Delevingne have quite proven themselves, albeit in *very* different ways; 3) bias against Space Opera for some reason; 4) The big one is the film is simultaneously dense and cotton candy. The exact reactions you all had to it are the reasons word of mouth didn't create a rush to theatres. It's hard to recommend because so much happens it creates a rainbow smear in the memory, where the biggest takeaway is that Valerian is kind of a terrible person. PS: Eliza's body language sends me every time. I guess that's probably weird, but I just appreciate when people are expressive like that.
I think what benefited the team's opinion of this movie was their opportunity to take breaks. The repeated "This movie was so much and I felt full after 5 minutes" was exactly how our group felt after watching it. I might need to give it a rewatch, with breaks.
To call back to Jupiter Ascending Valarian “The Graduates” his way through the walls of the “City of 1000 Planets”,he legit trashes everything in his path,and it’s awesome!
I started watching this last night, having originally seen it in cinema and been pretty sure j’d fallen asleep and missed most of it. Rewatched it, came back and finished the video today. No, it is that nuts, and the gear changes are that neck breaking. DDH must rank pretty high on the list of least charismatic lotharios. An utterly charmless fringe with no self awareness. Oh and I’m guessing at least a third of the budget went on needle drops.
I loved Valerian et Laureline (comic) and even watched Space Jam (two-country produced anime) loosely based on the comics. I was a little sad with the film-I was already upset about the title removing Laureline from the film, especially as the comic it was based on, Ambassadors of the Shadows (NOT Empire of a Thousand Planets which is a very different line) featured her as the main protagonist we follow. I also, primarily from the trailers, had it in my head that Val & Laur were already an active couple during the whole film and was excited about that fresh dynamic being on the screen. So I was very sad when it was just a frat boy pursuing the girl lead. And lastly, I’m not sure if it’s a translation thing where Luc Besson failed to translate his ideas, but the whole “love” message lacked all nuance and felt heavy handed. Maybe it’s just because comics are different medium, maybe because the storylines were actually very different and he changed his story to fit film and did it all in English, but it felt lacking. I actually saw it Imax opening, and bought the film in 4K HD even though my screen can show 4K and I haven’t brought myself to watch it a second time. But I also really wanted to support this work-I supposed hoping if he got a sequel, it would be even better. I’m honestly glad you all seemed to enjoy and like it, even if you are forced to find only positives in films. But I don’t think this film is awful. I think it suffered for me from pre-expectations I imposed on the film myself and the film “failing” to live up to them. I think I’ll watch it again tomorrow, and see if with those removed I enjoy it more.
"Boy that's amazing, was it necessary?" Seems like a very accurate description of a lot of things in Valerian.
"His voice sounds like a Hollister smells." Never has there been a more accurate statement.
i dont know what a holister is so i dont get it
This was so true...
Oh my gosh actually yes. I’m kinda here for it too
@@serenityq26
I'm tangentially aware that it exists but I've never been to one, so that makes at least two of us in the dark.
One of the interesting things about this is that the comic was definitely an inspiration for a lot of space operas, but now that the movie is out people say it’s clearly inspired by this space opera or that space opera even though the source material is earlier than them. But they are also partly right of course. It is inspired by those things. Makes an interesting circle.
...John Carter of Mars?
@@johnnyjohnson6643 Sadly yes, I was thinking that as well. I thought _John Carter_ was decent, sort of expected they would've changed Dejah Thoris from her literary damsel-in-distress motif, but every time I saw Taylor Kitsch on screen I just couldn't stand him, his voice, his acting. If they got someone else, I think it might've helped but it would've been compared to all those that were inspired by the "Barsoom" series.
They're saying the same thing about Alita: Battle Angle, that it copied all the other movies like it... Since it was true to the source material from 1990, it shows many people don't know what they're talking about!
One day they'll do a movie based on Gibson's Neuromancer and say it ripped off the Matrix!
Star Wars being the big example of movie ripping off the source comics. It's sufficiently different from the comics to not be a ripoff, but it owes so much to the Valerian comics.
The thing that bugged me about this movie was that as a long-time reader of the comics I didn't recognize the main characters. In the comics, Valerian is actually kind of a laidback chill dude - he gets nervous and intense in violent situations, but he hates violence and isn't really a womanizer or all creeper on Laureline. And Laureline isn't coolly snarky, she's kind of the thinker and rogue (they first met in the Middle Ages, she was a peasant and thief, yes, she's from the past, there's a lot of time travel in the comics due to the writers actually stopping to consider FTL).
So the aggressive not-taking-no-for-an-answer dudebro Valerian from the movie is kind of far from the aimless, spaced out Valerian I remember from the comics - the dude who when asked how he'd direct the path of a species (it was a test) basically went "I dunno...do what you wanna do?" Hell, in the comics Laureline was the one first pursuing *him* and he was clueless about it even though he was openly attracted to her.
This exactly. Comic Valerian and Movie Valerian have zero in common with each other. Also not at all helped by Dane DeHaan looking and sounding like he only just got past puberty. Also not helped by Rihanna.
Lol really? I was assuming the womanizer stuff came straight out of the source material because it feels so dated in the movie.
@@Selestrielle Nah, that's straight-up Luc Besson being bad at showing sane romance (see every movie he ever made). Comics Valerian might have a thing for his co-worker but he's not aggressive about it. The earliest comics he was even a bit of a "Rules are rules" sort of guy who followed orders and was polite to his superiors. Then he got disillusioned and relaxed.
Luc Besson wrote this version and if there's one thing that dude knows it's creepers (The relationship in Leon: The Professional is BASED ON HIS OWN!)
Swedish translation added a little snark to Laureline but it still worked pretty well, especially as a balance to Valerian being totally by-the-book, stoic action hero type and his whole story arch where he's falling apart during the later events.
"Valerian and the House of 1000 Corpses" is my fave Rob Zombie crossover sequel.
I'd amputate something to see this!!
1: This movie is Awesome, I love this film.
2: Having a guest on is really cool, every now and then, I think it's an awesome thing to do.
"This movie could use a little Coco Chanel, right. Before you walk out the door, take one accessory off." - Elisa (the perfect analogy, tbh)
i dont get it
@@serenityq26 We can’t get Everything.
Gorgeous, gorgeous movie with a supremely punch-able dude lead character. (Seriously Valerian, get entirely the heck over your dingdang self.) Glad you folks found a lot to love about it!
the film is great and valerian is hot
I grew up reading Valérian et Laureline as a kid alongside Astérix et Obélix and I was so happy when I saw this film was coming out, I think it really did work as a sort of introduction to the rich world that exists. Its problem - and I think the American 'reboot' of Ghost in the Shell suffered the same problem - is how do you cram nearly 50 years' worth of comics into a single film for yahoots that don't know it. I think Dane wasn't the best choice of actor for Valérian personally, but, I think Cara did a pretty good job of playing Laureline. I don't know many others that grew up reading the comics, but, I hope they liked seeing our favourite Earthly outerworldly heroes brought to live on the silver screen.
We are yahoots
Yeah I definitely feel that Dane was the weakest link in the entire movie. The way he plays Valerian is just so unlikeable. It works for other movies he has been in, but like what Miles said, focus on everything else but the main characters; which i feel can imply that if this Valerian happened to be more tropey/more 'flawed but likeable' it might have been a better fit.
Dane made me hate this movie. Not to mention that he doesn't have a character arc. Loved lauraline until she had to be weak. I hated the romance.
Well Belmondo and Delon were not available...
Wasn't Laureline from Napoleon-era France? I might be TOTALLY off the mark here but I recall there being time _and_ space shenanigans in that series, like a French Doctor Who.
This makes me want to see you guys do John Carter....
John Carter is dope. Theyd love it
@@jjackson6082 ... but would they react to Taylor Kitsch like they did to Dane Dehaan?
I loved that movie when it came out. I'd rather watch a movie that is good in spite of itself over just a good movie. It is like the Forest God thing from Hellboy. A destructive yet mystical being whose blood creates this alien forest life. Scary yet awesome.
Your final point about how this movie is best if you're looking at every part of this film that isn't the main characters really rings true. This movie fell flat for me in theaters because compared to the sheer joy and craftsmanship of the entire rest of the movie, Valerian and Laureline possess neither chemistry nor charisma.
this feels like an adaptation of a really cool D&D campaign.
Well it is a French comic book & anime
I had exactly the same reaction. There are some films for me which are "rpg movies" like friends reccomens films to me by saying "you will want to base an rpg on it"
its an adaptation of a comic
"Space Dunk" sounds like one of those work-in-progress titles before 90s Warner Bros. decided on "Space Jam."
I remember when this was in theaters and the biggest thing people were complaining about was how Valerian seemed like a Mary Sue for someone so young, but completely missed the fact that rejuvenation technology exists in this universe and was shown on screen. The world did not deserve this film
Rather plothole surfers don't deserve anything. Suckers cannot even comprehend Martha. Why would you ever want to consider anything they say.
@@StanNotSoSaint you can try to rationalize that all you want, that scene just didn't translate well. DC rushed an entire cinematic universe to get to the end of a story, for some reason, and then tried to make this big moment mean something they didn't earn.
You can save the college essay on what it meant to Bruce and why it completely changed his motivations and goal in an instant, I get it and it was still stupid.
@@cctomcat321 why should I rationalize if it worked ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@StanNotSoSaint it didn't work. Hence the name heard round the world, "Martha". It was a terrible scene people bent over backwards to justify. That's the entire point. If not working. It not being earned. It being ultimately stupid in context.
@@cctomcat321 except it did =]
recently someone asked on twitter "what is the most beautiful film you've ever seen", first thing that came to mind was this. what can compare other than some animation? the opening water world alone! sigh PARADISE. i would live there
New subscriber sent from Cinemawins and so glad I came! You guys are awesome!
Im so fuckin hype SOMEONE is talking about this movie. Like it felt like nobody remembered it when it came out, so anytime i bring it up, no one knows what im talkin about
I remember seeing the trailer for this film and saying literally, "I wanna see this just to SEE this." I did eventually watch it on a place of all places and was blown away for sure.
I watched this movie a year ago and all I’ve been thinking since is “Man, I can’t wait for the Deep Dive for this one! Y’all are gonna flip!”
The other thing I kept thinking while watching Dane as Valerian was “Space Cop Johnny Utah”
A deep dive on one of my favorite Besson films? OMG thank you! These thanks are years after the fact, but damn I wish I'd seen this years ago. I left this dive thinking OMG I HAVE FOUND MY TRIBE!
The opening scene in this with the evolution of alpha station is one of my favourite scenes in a sci-fi movie.
I remember going into Valerian back then assuming I would get more of The Fifth Element. What I got was so much more. And Rutger "Hobo with a Shotgun" Hauer got a cameo as a hologram in the beginning!!!
"His voices sounds like how a Hollister smells." Best single-sentence character summary/indictment in the history of ever.
"So beautiful it made me tired" was very close to how I experienced my first time in the Rocky Mountains.
I stopped ten minutes in...
‘Cause they said it was a bad movie, but they convinced me I wanna watch it and don’t want it spoiled.
Hehe. I did the same thing. Checked it out on Prime Video. Had a blast of a time and then came back here to relive the whole experience again. So I had twice to fun with this one. It's not great movie, but very entertaining and gorgeous. And I liked Bubble, cause she was a great shapeshifter character.
This was such a great video. I enjoyed it very much. I have to go back and watch the film again, then watch this again.
You guys coming together is like a dream come true
Does Thaziit remind anyone else of Matt Mercer’s quirkier merchants on Critical Role? Because I’m getting severe “gunpowder merchant” flashbacks from Campaign 1.
Man I loved Victor. Remember that Halloween episode he dressed up as him?
Hi fellow critter
@@felicedomneys2575 bidet
Yes! I thought that!
Oh and Bidet!
Bidet!
this is honestly one of my favorite movies. It's like one long cantina scene.
I loved this movie. So glad you all got to see it. Wish it did better so we could have sequels. 😣
How on earth did Valerian end up in the box?! It's a wonderful film. It reminded me of Star Wars. Of that experience of watching Star Wars for the very first time. The awe. The wonder. The world it builds. Yes. Too ambitious. But oh so wonderful. It should be a big budget TV show with many, many episodes.
Also, no mentions of the Star Wars connection?
This was wonderful. Love y'all's positivity & desire to find the things worth appreciating!
Got me all excited and it was a premiere thing 😭 I liked this movie I just really felt like Dane Dehaan was TOTALLY miscast! I think another person would have made the movie as a whole way better. There was really cool stuff going on in this film
I very much agree!
Watched it in theaters. Looks alone makes this movie awesome.
This is an amazing movie. And I’ve had to watch it more than once, it’s ALWAYS something new.
I remember seeing it when it was in theaters and it was amazing. It was so beautiful and just the best. I was so inspired.
Hell yeah, I agree with the general sentiment. This is a perfect movie for the show because it's adorably quirky and fun, it just couldn't put together a good trailer and due to some... eh... uneven choices it just didn't build enough word of mouth buzz to make a comeback. If any of the guys are seeing it for the first time I think we'll get some proper filmjoy out of this one.
Indeed it seems that the perfect recipe for deepdives is fatally flawed movies with too many good Ideas going on at once.
OK, I was thinking Miles Luna was maybe a bit too present and eager to steal the show for a guest star, but then he pronounced "horchata" correctly, so now I'm back on board.
That's kinda why I can't watch him on RT. Just a personality type I can't watch. It's cool though, I'm glad other folks are enjoying it so much.
"Too present and eager" is Miles' whole thing. It's not for everyone but it's never malintended. He's what happens if a puppy was a person. Been watching him for ages
This movies is such a love story by Luc Besson. You can see his passion for this graphic novel in every shot.
To explain European comics a bit more: it's not driven by the publisher. In fact, publishers don't have a shared world, like in the USA.
There is maybe one editor for the comic, the main people involved are the writer and the artist. One artist, who does all art: drawing, inking, colouring & text. And there are no creative retreats (to bash out what the company will do the coming year: it's all creator-driven.
As such, you have much less restraint in our comics and that means a lot of freedom. Quite like manga. But with colour.
The way the film is just stacked with casual murder bothered me a lot, too; as someone for whom the Valerian comics were an enormous, moving experience, I was especially frustrated, because while characters do sometimes die in the books--some even get killed by Valerian or Laureline--there isn't this sense of almost gleeful sadism we see in Valerian and Laureline in the movie. One of the marks of the books is how Valerian and Laureline learn to value life apart from their duty as space agents. In the end of their 40-year comics story, they save time and space for everyone in the universe--a kind of selfless act of compassion this movie seems incapable of imagining. The sadism really comes from Luc Besson.
The other thing about the books that felt really off in the movie is the relationship between Valerian and Laureline; Valerian is time/space agent, who discovered Laureline in the middle-ages. She was turned into a unicorn, read his mind, figured out he was from the future, and demanded he take her there. Their relationship is romantic from the start, with problems that chart the evolving relationships of men & women over the 20th century. Laureline is take-charge, clever, imaginative and capable--and Valerian frequently misses this, which is a source of a lot of humor in the books. Valerian himself is a dope, but he always figures out why he's being a dope and solves it by the end of the book. Well, he usually does. Anyways, the characters are portrayed as a bit older in the comic, and that helps their relationship seem more interesting. Dane Dehane is absolutely wrong for the role of Valerian. Cara Delvigne is okay, I guess, but she doesn't seem to me to have great material. The Laureline of the books is allowed to be wittier and more subtle.
The visual invention of the movie...all of it except the crazy market--comes directly out of the Valerian & Laureline comics, and one in particular: it's the one they're mostly adapting for this movie, Ambassador of the Shadows. These books had that mind-boggling visual imagination, coupled with the creators' abilities to imagine really fully-fledged alien races and their societies. And it shouldn't go unremarked-upon that the Valerian books are a clear visual reference point for the later Star Wars movies. In fact, both Lucas and Disney rob these books of imagery and ideas constantly. The shape of the Millenium Falcon, Han Solo being frozen in carbonite, Darth Vader's look, along with the removal of his helmet to reveal a wizened face underneath, Leah's brass bikini and the gate to Jabba's palace in Return of the Jedi...all the way to the floating city of Exogol in Rise of Skywalker--an image taken directly from the Valerian & Laureline book The Order of the Stones. But these are great books, way more sophisticated, imaginative and interesting than the movies that draw upon them for inspiration (the cabs in Besson's own The Fifth Element are also stolen from the V & L book, The Circles of Power). They don't end like this movie does, with Valerian going into several gleeful sequences of mass slaughter. That's not what these stories are, and it really, REALLY bugged me.
'Everything great about ... ' did a great breakdown of Valerian
One of the most gorgeous accomplishments of visual design ever, wrapped around an utter trainwreck of a plot and two leads with negative charisma or chemistry. So much eye candy, so little everything else.
THIS IS AMAZING !!!!! What a wonderful concept for videos. Best "comment video" style I've seen ever.
I love this movie so much and love watching this deep dive for like the 9th time. Such a great film
OK, just watched this on the basis of this video and I have to thank you guys - you're right, it was great!
This was a great bad film. Like many Luc Besson creations, just when you think it's turning into a work of genius, something happens that's offensively idiotic.
When the movie ended the first thing in the credits was "Directed by Luc Besson" and I was like yup, that checks out. And then it went "Screenplay by Luc Besson" and like... that explains a lot.
no
@@Selestrielle Yup. Besson has a pretty consistent style.
@@satireknight For starters. But I was more thinking that love is the consistent theme of most of his movies (that I've seeen.) Yet his understanding of love is similar to the understanding of feminism in the movie Showgirls.
This is the first Deep Dive I've watched and I'm definitely up for more.
Same!
Go watch the others.
Prepare yourself for a really good time!
They're pretty much all great.
>New episode of Deep Dive feat. Miles Luna comes out same day as new RWBY episode
Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
Miles was so charming in this!
You are all perfect delights!
I used to be vaguely disappointed when movies I like were the subject of Deep Dive but ALWAYS LOVE the positive take-aways. :) This time I remembered to be excited and only a little nervous that another movie I like was on the docket :)
Another movie on Deep Dive that straight up never was bad? Still I'm glad you guys experienced it and promoted it to other people. Good stuff!
"There was never this radioactive threat to Atlas..."
I think Miles Luna was getting some names confused with those from his own shows lol
I’m also in love with Miles Luna now
My thought was that if ANYTHING ever deserved the kind of treatment that was shown in 'ready player 1' it was this. I went to see ' the 5th element' two days in a row in the cinema the weekend it came out because I wanted to focus on the background, as if it were a real place I could explore. This was like that to the power of a thousand.
I haven't seen this and just the description of how much stuff's going on has got me ready for a nap
I now want this whole group to review every movie. They are full of fantastic insights that work for the story at hand.
That said, I see that they are the ideal group for this review as it is a convoluted non stop story that is very Luc Besson.
Of course Luc Besson was the reason to watch it. He is the reason I watched it.
I loved this movie so much. So sad it didn't do better
MILES FREAKING LUNA ON ONE OF MY (new, sorry, I just recently came out from under my rock) FAVORITE UA-cam CHANNELS!!! OH YEAH!
The balance of beauty is what drew me to this... Something to consider about Valerian, when Laureline is running around trying not to get her head cut off, she's screaming for him to come save her... She didn't know he was there, it was just her faith that he had her covered.
You assume he paused because he's an ass, I think the pause was the director's way of showing the mutual trust they had. She saved him under pressure in the inter-dimensional thing when his hand was trapped in the box. He saved her in this place which took a lot of work just to get inside of.
"The best things to be looking at is everyone besides the main characters."
That's the perfect summation, right there.
Looking forward to this. The opening scenes of this film a especially are amazing.
Commenting before watching because I'm a wrong'un.
I saw this at the cinema and my memory of it is that the main part of the film is a bit rubbish but the first five minutes were genuinely beautiful.
Let's see what the team think
This movie is completely insane and I love it.
Y'all do 10-12 of these per year. I doubt you'll ever run out of submissions.
Great video, as always! I feel like the film's failure to launch (eh? ehhhh?) was fourfold: 1) Not a recognized IP outside of Western Europe; 2) Neither Dane DeHaan nor Cara Delevingne have quite proven themselves, albeit in *very* different ways; 3) bias against Space Opera for some reason; 4) The big one is the film is simultaneously dense and cotton candy. The exact reactions you all had to it are the reasons word of mouth didn't create a rush to theatres. It's hard to recommend because so much happens it creates a rainbow smear in the memory, where the biggest takeaway is that Valerian is kind of a terrible person.
PS: Eliza's body language sends me every time. I guess that's probably weird, but I just appreciate when people are expressive like that.
“And then you remember this is a movie about a bull.”
This movie is how ADHD feels. You've convinced me Miles!
Right off the bat, Miles' suitcoat is... alarming. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but WHOA.
INCREDIBLE movie... HORRIBLE leads... utterly BUTCHERED main characters... ****ING AMAZING EVERYTHING ELSE! Absolutely loved it!
i love this film so much. beautiful beyond belief and so much fun
Miles fits in so well with your group!! and what a movie to bring him in for!!!!!! Now i gotta go watch it!
I need to rewatch this
I enjoyed this movie. I feel like the 2 leads were miscast though. I kinda hope this becomes a series.
Ohhhh yes yes yes
I don't know if even Deep Dive could find something to love about the Tom Cruise Mummy.
Miles is an absolute treat and I need him to be in all the things!
I think what benefited the team's opinion of this movie was their opportunity to take breaks. The repeated "This movie was so much and I felt full after 5 minutes" was exactly how our group felt after watching it. I might need to give it a rewatch, with breaks.
So happy I saw this movie the day it came out.
This was excellent! I hope y'all work with Miles again soon! :)
This video has Pangolins, extinction level event discussion and Kobe references....from five months ago! Thanks a lot guys! ;)
Fun fact: 11:10 the guy in the roses shirt is also the guy who played Scott Shelby in Heavy Rain. He was also a police officer in “The Fifth Element”
I love when my favourite people collaborate!
I love how much you guys love movies.
I love this movie. It's simply great and frenchy :D
I had such a good time watching y'all watch this movie and now I need to watch this movie.
I'm surprised they didn't have Van Helsing (the Hugh Jackman movie) among the choices for the next box haha
To call back to Jupiter Ascending Valarian “The Graduates” his way through the walls of the “City of 1000 Planets”,he legit trashes everything in his path,and it’s awesome!
This was an excellent episode
I love you people! It's such a joy to watch ya'll watch film!
I loved this movie. So much.
This movie had an awesome starting sequence. Nevermind the rest.
shounak shastri +++++++++++++++++ l agree with this statement too much
For real. It made me FEEL
I started watching this last night, having originally seen it in cinema and been pretty sure j’d fallen asleep and missed most of it. Rewatched it, came back and finished the video today. No, it is that nuts, and the gear changes are that neck breaking.
DDH must rank pretty high on the list of least charismatic lotharios. An utterly charmless fringe with no self awareness.
Oh and I’m guessing at least a third of the budget went on needle drops.
I always have so much fun watching this series!
I watched this 3 times and honestly this is my normal constant baseline.
Absolutely hated the mains characters of this film. However, I still enjoyed it
I remember watching Miles on RT years ago and I gotta say he's aging quite gracefully.
This is a great movie that I've never watched sober, so it's always fresh and new because there's too much to absorb.
I loved Valerian et Laureline (comic) and even watched Space Jam (two-country produced anime) loosely based on the comics.
I was a little sad with the film-I was already upset about the title removing Laureline from the film, especially as the comic it was based on, Ambassadors of the Shadows (NOT Empire of a Thousand Planets which is a very different line) featured her as the main protagonist we follow.
I also, primarily from the trailers, had it in my head that Val & Laur were already an active couple during the whole film and was excited about that fresh dynamic being on the screen. So I was very sad when it was just a frat boy pursuing the girl lead.
And lastly, I’m not sure if it’s a translation thing where Luc Besson failed to translate his ideas, but the whole “love” message lacked all nuance and felt heavy handed. Maybe it’s just because comics are different medium, maybe because the storylines were actually very different and he changed his story to fit film and did it all in English, but it felt lacking.
I actually saw it Imax opening, and bought the film in 4K HD even though my screen can show 4K and I haven’t brought myself to watch it a second time. But I also really wanted to support this work-I supposed hoping if he got a sequel, it would be even better.
I’m honestly glad you all seemed to enjoy and like it, even if you are forced to find only positives in films. But I don’t think this film is awful.
I think it suffered for me from pre-expectations I imposed on the film myself and the film “failing” to live up to them.
I think I’ll watch it again tomorrow, and see if with those removed I enjoy it more.
I have a hunch that filmjoy would have a blast watching both Bahuubali movies.