Valerian Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs
Downs...
4. Dane DeHaan Is Wildly Miscast
There's little point denying that Dane DeHaan is hilariously miscast as the titular protagonist, an apparently arrogant and handsome agent who nevertheless feels more like a teenager playing dress-up due to DeHaan's slight frame, youthful face and breathy, over-affected "tough man" voice.
DeHaan does not play cocky or tough well, so placing him as the unironic action hero lead was never going to pay off, and while he's certainly not bad enough to totally sink the film, it's simply staggering that any producer would willingly stake a $200 million sci-fi space opera on his name and charisma.
The part needed a far more charismatic, confident and, dare one say, naturally good-looking, actor to play the part faithfully to the source material, and instead he ends up the movie's major damp squib.