Valerian and The City Of A Thousand Planets , Have No Muscled-Up Hero
Valerian and The City Of A Thousand Planets. Dane DeHaan plays a leading man without Hollywood’s typical buff qualities. In Hollywood, buff men with bulging self-esteem are often the ones who save the day. A blockbuster hero needs Arnold Schwarzenegger’s threatening biceps, Bruce Willis’ impenetrable confidence, John Wayne’s grizzled gun slinging, Will Smith’s bellowing charm and/or Chris Hemsworth’s rigid eyes. Even characters meant to look like everyday folks say, Tom Holland’s nerdy Peter Parker in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, sport chiseled abs and clear complexions. You couldn’t doubt their fortitude if you tried. These men represent everything that director Luc Besson did not want in “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” his big-budget sci-fi phantasmagoria, which just recently opened in theaters with mixed reviews.
Besson, a Frenchman whose eye-popping aesthetics won him American success, had sought to adapt “Valérian and Laureline”, the comics series he loved as a child since making the 1997 oddity “The Fifth Element.” A futuristic space opera set in the outer reaches of the galaxy, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” evolved throughout its development, getting an entire rewrite after Besson saw “Avatar” and decided his initial script “wasn’t good enough.” But one thing never changed: Besson always wanted a leading man without typical leading-man attributes. Enter Dane DeHaan, the 31-year-old actor who resembles a young Leonardo DiCaprio, back when Leo could be described as slender and boyish. “I’m interested by the strong sex, which is the man,” Besson stated. “I’m interested by the weakness of the strong sex and I’m interested by the strength of the weak sex. Achilles without his heel has no interest.”
As the criminal-chasing agent Valerian, DeHaan joins Cara Deleyingne, portraying the smirking Laureline, on a mission to protect the metropolis Alpha from a vague threat that has them hopping through time, space and a Rhianna burlesque show? But instead of a macho superhero type with a vigilante complex, our protagonist is a romantic who looks more frail than he does fierce. In some ways, “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” builds on a key aspect of “The Fifth Element,” which revolved around a gun-wielding maverick with a surprising sentimental core, portrayed by Bruce Willis. The difference? DeHaan, less of a household name than Willis was in 1997, has a more malleable reputation and a more gaunt countenance, as evidenced earlier this year in “A Cure for Wellness.” Put differently, Willis was a brand; DeHaan is not. It is apparent that Besson prefers the Han Solo school of heroism. “I love Harrison Ford in ‘Star Wars’ because he doesn’t want to deal with anything, he’s very selfish,” Besson said. “Even in ‘Indiana Jones,’ he’s lying, he’s selfish. I love these kind of heroes, but not superheroes. Honestly, just to see these superheroes full of muscles and pink tights wondering if they should save the world or not — they’re totally depressing for me. “You’re a fucking superhero! Go!” Make no mistake: DeHaan is handsome and fit. But he hardly looks like he bulked up for “Valerian.” Unfortunately, DeHaan’s spiritless line delivery will make some wonder if he was the right choice for this $180 million passion project.
In Outer Space, Super Heroes Can Come In All Shapes, Sizes, Colors And Forms
Susan Z’s Conclusion:
DeHaan is definitely one of those movie heroes that has a more intellectual approach to winning than shooting their way through it. The visual effects of this movie are astounding but there have been some not so positive reviews on the two main stars acting chops. Reviewed as a visual extravaganza but boring stars.
Seven of Wands:
This is being challenged to make a stand for what you believe. I feel the producer had to fight for his approach to make the movie without the go to muscled super hero but got what he wanted.
Four of Cups:
Inverted (Upside Down)
This is feeling bored and stagnate. Since pulled inverted, I believe the end game the producer wanted to created was to shake up our perception of the ordinary action hero and show the same win results could be accomplished without all the punches in the face to win.
Five of Wands: Inverted
This is arguments, both internal and external. Since pulled inverted, I feel on many levels he has won the argument of “I told you so” but also may still be defending his choice of who he had star in the movie due to mixed reviews.
Susan Z Rich is an emotional addiction counselor, spiritual intuitive and holistic therapist. She counsels others to see life in a more positive way and teaches personal accountability for life choices. She is also the author of several children’s books and Soul Windows…Secrets From The Divine.