History YMMV / ValerianAndTheCityOfAThousandPlanets

* OnceOriginalNowOverdone: When adapting a space opera comic which started in 1967, and which was very original and influential in its day, it's going to be hard to not have bits that feel incredibly similar to subsequent huge sci-fi franchises. The colorful aesthetic was obviously an influence on Besson's earlier ''Film/TheFifthElement'', and even the two leads' BelligerentSexualTension really brings to mind [[Franchise/StarWars Han and Leia]].

* SoOkayItsAverage: The general consensus seems to be that the film is visually stunning but doesn't do anything particularly remarkable outside of that. Critics also note that the original comic was fresh, inventive, and inspirational... [[OnceOriginalNowOverdone in the seventies]].

* VanillaProtagonist: The. Biggest. Criticism. Of. The. Movie. While likely an attempt at depicting Valerian and Laureline as unflappable [[ExperiencedProtagonist Experienced Protagonists]], it instead made them come off as [[DullSurprise painfully uncharismatic and un-immersive]]. While the titular city itself is a fascinating setting, the leads seem so uninterested in the world around them that it feels difficult to become invested in it. If our heroes don't care, why should we?

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: When adapting a space opera comic which started in 1967, and which was very original and influential in its day, it's going to be hard to not have bits that feel incredibly similar to subsequent huge sci-fi franchises. The colorful aesthetic was obviously an influence on Besson's earlier ''Film/TheFifthElement'', and even the two leads' BelligerentSexualTension really brings to mind [[Franchise/StarWars Han and Leia]].

* SoOkayItsAverage: The general consensus seems to be that the film is visually stunning but doesn't do anything particularly remarkable outside of that. Critics also note that the original comic was fresh, inventive, and inspirational... [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny in the seventies]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: More than one critic has compared the movie's quirkiness and psychedelic visuals to an extended acid trip, in no small part due to it being based on a bande dessinée from TheSeventies. Add to that the first trailer using the super trippy [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] song "Because".

* WhatTheHellCastingAgency:
** Pretty much every critic had this reaction to the casting of Dane [=DeHaan=] and Creator/CaraDelevingne as the two leads. The results were just as mixed as the film itself: [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously Delevingne earned some praise for her work]], especially when you compare the scathing responses she got for her performance in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'', but [=DeHaan=] was almost universally seen as miscast. Another common complaint was that the pair looked too much like siblings to believe as a couple.
** Casting non-actor Rihanna as the galaxy's greatest actor was a curious choice, especially when they force her to deliver dramatic monologues that highlight her wooden delivery.

** The aforementioned psychic jellyfish scene is hard to take seriously if you've played [[spoiler:Pokémon Sun and Moon.]]

** An awful lot of Valerian and Laureline's scenes end up difficult to take seriously, owing to Creator/CaraDelevingne's many DullSurprise line readings and Creator/DaneDeHaan's performance, which seems to be channeling a younger Creator/KeanuReeves with about the same quality of acting. His strange, attempted tough guy voice quickly makes his lines hilarious. It's likely not a coincidence that the film performed better in countries where it would receive a dub.

** The GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff situation of the movie has generated a bit of conflict between European ''Valerian'' fans and American fans of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' in particular, being another quirky SpaceOpera with psychedelic visuals.

** Pretty much every critic had this reaction to the casting of Dane [=DeHaan=] and Creator/CaraDelevingne as the two leads. The results were just as mixed as the film itself: Delevingne earned some praise for her work, especially when you compare the scathing responses she got for her performance in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'', but [=DeHaan=] was almost universally seen as miscast. Another common complaint was that the pair looked too much like siblings to believe as a couple.

* HarsherInHindsight: After the spate of Hollywood sexual harassment controversies in 2017, it's much easier to see Valerian and Laureline's romantic interactions as inappropriate given that Valerian is Laureline's commanding officer. Even more cringe-inducing now that Luc Besson himself has been accused of sexual assault by several women.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Bubble, [[Music/{{Rihanna}} unsurprisingly]], is a highlight to many viewers thanks to her exotic dance sequence with Valerian and the surprisingly good acting chops of her actress.

* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/RutgerHauer went from representing a dystopian way of conquering space -- the use of mistreated slave bioandroids such as Roy Batty in ''Film/BladeRunner'' -- to a utopian one, by deciding to send Alpha out of the Earth's orbit to explore space as the President of the Federation of Earth.

** Pretty much every critic had this reaction to the casting of Dane [=DeHaan=] and Creator/CaraDelevingne as the two leads. The results were just as mixed as the film itself: Delevingne earned some praise for her work, especially when you compare the scathing responses she got for her performance in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'', but [=DeHaan=] was almost universally seen as miscast.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The message of forgiveness that the Pearl empress preaches. She lost a child and most of her people, yet she forgives her enemies and refuses to harm anyone.

* MagicalNegro: Bubble is definitely a subversion. She appears, solves the white characters' problems, and then instantly dies with little to no reverence given to her sacrifice. Also note that her death is incredibly abrupt and out of nowhere, as if the narrative knew she didn't fit and was just there to be used and dropped.

--->'''Bob:''' ''These are males.''
--->'''Laureline:''' ''How can you tell?''
--->'''Bob:''' ''Females are'' much bigger.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[BigBad Commander Arün Filitt]]]] is a brutal InsaneAdmiral who, years ago, launched doomsday weapons to win a battle despite knowing it could [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroy a planet]] with a sentient, albeit primitive, species known as the Pearls. [[spoiler:Filitt]] sealed the records, fearing embarrassment, while murdering those who might know the truth personally. Years later, when the survivors of the species attempt to bring him to justice, [[spoiler:Filitt]] has one captured and brutally tortured, before ordering him disposed of. When called to account for his actions, [[spoiler:Filitt]] instructs his personal robot guard to murder even other humans and attempts to use a bomb to annihilate the remaining Pearls, caring nothing for those he's tried to destroy in his quest for glory.

** The opening showing how Alpha City came to be, starting off as a simple human space station and then becoming the sprawling metropolis it is. All while set to Music/DavidBowie's "Space Oddity." Many people agreed that it was a very well done scene.

* EsotericHappyEnding: The film presents the Pearls's escape on their ship, which recreates their paradise planet's setting, as a happy ending. However, they'll be spending the rest of their days clinging to a flawed illusion of their former lifestyle. They can't fish for pearls anymore, and their converter might be the only one left in existence, so they will eventually run out of pearls to power their world. They'll need to continue maintaining their spacecraft, so they won't even be able to live in their illusory beach setting all the time. And while their civilization used to number more than 6 million, they now only have a few city blocks' worth of space for their entire civilization.

** The opening showing how Alpha City came to be, starting off as a simple human space station and then becoming the sprawling metropolis it is. All while set to Music/DavidBowie's "Space Oddity."

** An awful lot of Valerian and Laureline's scenes end up difficult to take seriously, owing to Creator/CaraDelevingne's many DullSurprise line readings and Dane [=DeHaan=]'s performance, which seems to be channeling a younger Creator/KeanuReeves with about the same quality of acting. His strange, attempted tough guy voice quickly makes his lines hilarious. It's likely not a coincidence that the film performed better in countries where it would receive a dub.

** Ethan Hawke's brief turn as a sleazy cowboy pimp in Alpha's red light district.

** Pretty much every critic had this reaction to the casting of Dane [=DeHaan=] and Creator/CaraDelevingne as the two leads. The results were just as mixed as the film itself: Delevingne earned some praise for her work, especially when you compare the scathing responses she got for her performance in ''Film/SuicideSquad'', but [=DeHaan=] was almost universally seen as miscast.

* AngstWhatAngst: During their mission to retrieve the converter at the beginning of the movie, Valerian and Laureline's whole team dies. This includes men they know personally and are shown to be friendly with. Cooper, in particular, dies specifically to save Valerian. Their reaction a few seconds later? Laureline complaining that her dress is ruined. The both of them don't even seem mildly upset and it's never mentioned again. Kinda makes the heroine's tearful compassion for the Pearls later on a little hard to believe.

** An awful lot of Valerian and Laureline's scenes end up difficult to take seriously, owing to Creator/CaraDelevingne's many DullSurprise line readings and Dane [=DeHaan=]'s performance which seems to be channeling a younger Creator/KeanuReeves, with about the same quality of acting. His strange, attempted tough guy voice quickly makes his lines hilarious.
* NarmCharm: It's a film that goes from seriousness to slapstick at the drop of a hat, plays cheesy retro space opera morals about war and the PowerOfLove with a wholehearted straight face, and requires a bit of the MST3KMantra to really enjoy. In other words, a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Film/TheFifthElement''.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The message of forgiveness that the Pearl empress preaches. She lost a child and most of her people. Yet she forgives her enemies and refuses to harm anyone.
* SoOkayItsAverage: The general consensus seems to be that the film is visually stunning but doesn't do anything particularly remarkable outside of that. Critics also note that the original comic was fresh, inventive, and inspirational… [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny in the seventies]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: More than one critic has compared the movie's quirkiness and psychedelic visuals to an extended acid trip. Add to that the first trailer using the super trippy [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] song "Because".

** Pretty much every critic had this reaction to the casting of Dane [=DeHaan=] and Creator/CaraDelevingne as the two leads. The results were just as mixed as the film itself: Delevingne earned some praise for her work, especially when you compare the scathing responses she got for her performance in ''Film/SuicideSquad'' but [=DeHaan=] was almost universally seen as miscast.