Quoted from bladerunner:Those of you who liked 2049, please watch Valerian
I enjoyed Valerian and had high hopes, but felt like it fell short. The lead actors just didn't do it. I couldn't put my thumb on it until I realized the parts I like most, were from other much better actors. As a Fifth Element fan (so much so its my custom game theme) it was a bummer. Visually great, still enjoyed it, but didn't reach the bar of the Fifth Element or the Professional. However believe its ultimately because the right actors would have put that already large budget movie out of possibility. It was a risk I can agree with, but he had the same problem with 5th element and was able to get better actors with residuals, which worked out really well.
Back to Bladerunner 2049, I was VERY happy with the sequel. I felt its stands up entirely on its own but doesn't ignore the original. I'm a fan of long slow movies, so didn't mind the pace. the world building, production, story, and acting were all as good as the original and went back to the theater to see it large screen one more time.