I've never been a particular fan of Dane DeHaan, with the exception of Chronicle, and I've given him multiple attempts to get me over in his corner, but his performances always fall emotionally flat. Valerian is no exception. DeHaan's performance is easily the worst out of the cast, which even includes Rihanna. I had less qualms with Delevigne, but she was by no means excellent. The film really loses its gusto by having their leads miscast to a duo who have trouble emoting and share absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. Throughout the film, we're supposed to be convinced that Valerian and Laureline have a romantic connection, but most of their scenes are cold and lifeless. That would be major problem number one.

The second major issue that prevented this visual spectacle from being truly great is the shoddy script. It's predictable at ever turn. You'll know the villain the moment you see him, and your suspicions will be confirmed in the following scene. The only thing that remains a mystery is the villain's motives, which aren't really as effective as not knowing who the bad guy is (at least, in this case). This ultimately leads to very few moments of tension, and sub-plots that are introduced don't ever conclude or tie into the story at large. For instance, during the market scene, Valerian's life is threatened by a large Jabba The Hutt like creature, yet we never see him again. It's things like this that really beat the audience to death.