Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets [2017]

EMM# : 31881
Added: 2017-11-11

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
From the visionary director of The Fifth Element and Lucy

Rating: 6.6

Movie Details:

Genre: Action (Adventure| Fantasy| Sci-Fi)

Length: 2 h 17 min - 137 min

Video: 1920x800 (23.976 Fps - 2 050 Kbps)

Studio: EuropaCorp| Fundamental Films| Grive Productions| ...(cut)

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In the Century XVIII, the space station Alpha is a city where beings from different planets live together exchanging their knowledge and culture. Peace is granted by a human force, including Major Valerian and his partner Sergeant Laureline. They are assigned by the Defence Minister to retrieve the last species of converter in a dangerous mission. They succeed and back to Alpha, unknown humanoids abduct Commander Arun Filitt expecting to steal the converter. They head to a forbidden area that is infected but Valerian and Laureline follow them and disclose a hidden secret about the race and the infected area. Written by

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emilyano
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The first thing I want to say about this movie is that the visuals are absolutely insane! It's really a joy to watch, the aliens are extremely well made and the first scene is just gorgeous!

The story is predictable, but can keep you interested for most of the time. The main problem was the way things are explained, it's like the movie think that the viewers are not intelligent enough, and many times I found myself saying "well that was obvious". There are some scenes that have zero impact on the story, and they give you nothing interesting. I really wanted to know more about this world, about the species, but sadly that didn't happen.

The dialog is good but nothing exiting, sometimes they say the same stuff over and over and you may find yourself thinking "we get it, move on", and it's really cheesy at some points.

The acting is very good, the chemistry between Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne is great, and overall all the cast delivers.

This movie wasn't something amazing as I thought it would be judging by the trailers, but I still enjoyed it very much, the actions scenes were great and the humor was on point most of the time. I won't recommend this for those who look for something clever with breathtaking twists, but for those who enjoy solid acting, nice story and amazing visuals, this movie is definitely recommended.

Overall 7/10

Thanks for reading!

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MovieLord23 from San Antonio
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Luc Besson's The Fifth Element has gained a cult following due to its weird story and out there set designs. Now Besson is tackling another wacky space opera type movie with Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets which is a graphic novel that was an inspiration for Star Wars. Now we did have a similar scenario with John Carter as an inspiration for multiple films receiving a modern film adaptation after many films have been released that have taken inspiration out of it. There is the danger of it feeling cliché despite the age of the source material, but the result results in a gorgeous looking movie with a weak script and characters.

Good: The main draw are the visuals and they are wonderful. The world that is displayed looks lived in and fascinating with its technology and alien beings. The CG is well rendered and explodes with an array of colors. The action scenes are fun with a good dose of creativity such as an multi-dimensional chase scene in the beginning of the movie. Rihanna also receives what could possibly be the best scene in the movie that is both creative and fun.

Bad: The script is the biggest detriment to this whole movie. The attempts of humor are lame with unfunny jokes and banter that barely warrants a laugh. The script also adds some cheesy lines that are more eye rolling than cheeky fun. Dane DeHaan as Valerian is miscast because I just can't believe him as this super soldier. He also puts on a tough guy voice that is annoying. Cara Delevingne has a better character, but she's also fairly wooden. This means there is no chemistry between them thus making the banter ineffective. Like I mentioned earlier, the story showing its age because other movies released since the graphic novel has shown the same elements and pulled them off later.

Overall, this movie could've been fun. It has the visuals and the action, but the script and characters were way too weak to match the surreal world. It is good for a rental, but I say stick to The Fifth Element.

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tony-clifton from Edmonton, Canada
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Although I too enjoy super hero movies, action movies blah blah - they are getting tired. Good directors can get the pacing, directing and acting so right that the same-ol story can be told while still be entertaining. Especially in science fiction, it seems there are no original ideas any more.

Then comes along Valerian - WOW! What a refreshing and imaginative world they've developed and an exciting movie they've created! The trailers truly do not do this movie justice. I watched this movie just for Luc Besson, because the trailer made the movie look like the usual Hollywood drivel. What I got instead was an extremely pleasing and original story that was superbly executed.

What I love about the movie is that the plot isn't your typical sci-fi plot. It plays like a detective story intermingled with action and amazing visuals, culminating in a very satisfying ending that made me yearn for sequels to learn more about the universe Besson has created.

Well done! This movie deserves to live on! Watch it in the theaters and be thrilled!

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yesterdayman2002 from United States
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What if the Star Wars prequels had been handed over to a better director? What if The Force Awakens and Rogue One had aimed at being original and fun science fantasy films rather than just playing on people's nostalgia?

This is what I found myself seeing as I was watching Valerian. A film that made Space Opera's fun and exciting again.

I was surprised by the two leads. The trailers made it feel like we'd be seeing a rehash of the two main leads from Ender's Game but I was surprised at how fun and spunky (and flawed) the two characters were to watch. The romance was not there and it did not need to be there because this film is not a romance nor centered around a romance.

This film is Luc Besson taking what people loved about the Fifth Element and stretching it to the entire movie.

And yes, it is true, it is visually the prettiest movie since Avatar. The kids I took with me to see this film had their eyes on the screen the whole time, no bathroom break, no water break, just a visually mesmerizing film that never tired its audience.

My recommendation is to go see it on the bring screen to experience the marvel of it. It's a shame it is not available in IMAX.

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Cameron Clay (criticadelcinema)
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Jeez. This movie. I loathe nearly everything about this film, but let's go ahead and knock out these positives.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is visually stunning— sometimes. There is a great deal of imagination that went into the art design here, and this definitely separates this film from the overly saturated sci-fi sub genre. The ambition showed in the world building of this universe is commendable, director Luc Besson really goes for it here. The vast majority of this film is completely CGI- rendered, and for the most part, the CGI is well done. The opening sequence that kicks this film off is breathtaking, and while it shares similarities to James Cameron's Avatar, there is an uniqueness to it that really draws the audience in.

As soon as our two human protagonists come on screen—which mind you, is immediately after the impressive opening sequence—the film screeches to a halt, losing every speck of momentum garnered in the first twenty minutes.

Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne portray cardboard cutouts—oh, I mean special government agents tasked with some of the universe's most important tasks. I wish there was something good I could say about the performances from these two. But, nearly every time DeHaan opened his mouth to speak all, I could do was sigh. This is clearly a role meant for a charismatic actor, the likes of someone like Chris Pratt, Tom Cruise, or Will Smith. Instead, this film has DeHaan, who gives such an extremely wooden performance that it is borderline painful. The chemistry between DeHaan and Delevingne is nonexistent. The romantic relationship between these two characters maybe could have been believable with a different pair of actors. With these two brick walls though? Nah. The film screeches to a halt far too many times to give focus to unbearable romantic moments between the two—many of which hurt me physically.

What really rose my blood pressure here was the script. Dare I say, I prefer the dialogue and narrative from the Transformers: The Last Knight over what is present in this film's monstrosity of a screenplay. This film thinks it is hilarious and charming, just like Transformers did. This film is immensely unfunny and repulsive, just like Transformers is. The attempts at quips and back-and-forth jokes are insufferable, getting less funny and more amateurish as the film goes on. DeHaan and Delevingne definitely deserve some of the blame for this, but the godawful writing doesn't provide them much room to be anything more than annoying.

The plot manages to be more jumbled than anything I have seen all year. There are whole sections of this film that have nothing to do with the narrative set up in the opening act. This is a 2 hour and 20 minute film that has no business being anything over 90 minutes. A whole third of this film could be cut out, (specifically the detour that features singer/songwriter Rihanna) and nothing about the ending would change. I should have walked out of this movie somewhere near that 90 minute mark, but, like Transformers, I hoped the final act would be this film's saving grace. It wasn't.

If you spent money your hard-earned money on this film this weekend, I truly apologize. While this is not the cinematic cancer that the Transformers franchise continues to be—Valerian is a horrendously acted, incoherently written, waste of time.

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IndustriousAngel from Austria
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The first thing you'll observe about Luc Besson's Valerian is how gorgeous it looks, how much work went into the perfect realisation of this world. In a time where nearly every blockbuster features tons of CGI, Valerian stands out and highlights how cheaply the effects are done in most of the other ones.

Next, the sheer inventiveness of designers, artists, set builders, wardrobe and makeup - again, makes us painfully realise how off-the-rack and dull most blockbusters are. Add to that Besson's quirky aesthetics and you're in a world that's nearly overpowering you with its inventiveness, its visual splendour, and also plain fun. I mean, a movie where a Jessica Rabbit cameo doesn't feel forced or out of place, that's just unique.

In my opinion, the optical fireworks were even a bit overdone, some scenes were plainly set up in a certain way to make them more spectacular but didn't really add to the story - an early on action sequence in a half-virtual market comes to mind that would work nearly equally well in a normal bazaar, just without some gags.

As to the story-line - lovers of the books (as I am) will recognise a lot of ingredients and species, and the main set-piece, a space city, is obviously taken from "L'Ambassadeurs des Ombres", but the story itself is a new one and revolves around a planet wiped out in a war about 30 years back, and the repercussions thereof. The "secret" someone wants to keep is not that secret to us, in fact about half an hour into the movie you already have a pretty good idea of what's going on, the joy comes from the detours we're taking on the road to the happy ending, not from silly plot twists.

Now, the characters, Valerian and Laureline: Dane DeHaan looks too young for his part from the comics (where Valerian was the more experienced partner, here he just has a higher degree), Cara Delevingne is perfectly cast, standing her ground with just the right amount of sarcasm and spunk. The team dynamics were as readers know it - Valerian the one who tends to stick to the rules and play by book while Laureline tends to act more impulsively - but both working together really well, be it as a duo or solo. There is a romance angle in the movie that was not taken from the books and feels a bit forced, thankfully it stays marginal and doesn't lessen the overall enjoyment.

And cheers to the screenwriters (Besson, mostly) for not going full in with the stakes. While there's some serious action here - people die and some more might die if V&L didn't succeed - it's actually a rather smallish plot, with just one single villain, and no worlds or even the universe to be saved, just the lives of some innocent bystanders.

Big recommendation for all fans of colourful SciFi and optical fireworks!

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Radu_A from Germany
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The Hollywood line-up this year doesn't provide anything remotely interesting. So don't let a shaky story-line, unnecessary dialogue and slightly hammy acting dissuade you from watching the most stunning visuals since "Avatar".

Based on 60s French cult comic series "Valerian & Laureline" - mystery to me why didn't they keep that title -, the magnificent opening sequence sets the tone for a more esoteric approach to Sci-Fi than "Star Wars". I won't let on about the story too much so as not to ruin any element of surprise. Let's just say they really should have lost the romantic chitchat. It makes the film drag at inconvenient times. With real writers, this could have become a classic.

The draw is the eye candy and there's plenty of it. Again I cannot in good conscience divulge any details. Again let's just say that one gets treated to the most creative use of lemons in the history of film. I'll have to watch it again to catch all the pop art references. Aliens were never more beautiful, more sophisticated, more varied. And while the Rihanna scene cannot compete with the opera scene in "5th Element", it's the best use of a performance act in film in years.

Alas, when one thinks "5th Element", the main weaknesses of "Valerian" stands out clearly: mediocre acting and a terrible script. Bloodless DeHaan is the most dreadfully miscast lead since Tom Hiddleston in "Kong: Skull Island". Why didn't they cast the likes of Theo James with over $200 mil to burn? Cara Delevingne is cool but no Milla Jovovich - Besson loved Jovovich for real and the camera and editing really showed that. Delevingne's Laureline comes across as a run-of-the-mill heroine even though she's doing a solid job. Clive Owen cannot even remotely compare to Gary Oldman's Hitleresque splendor. Strangely enough, the CGI aliens do the best acting and have all the memorable lines. Besson's script-writing has always been shaky but seems to get progressively worse.

Still, compared to this year's Hollywood fare of sequels, yet another superhero franchise and musicals with thespians who cannot sing, "Valerian" is infinitely more entertaining.

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Harun Karali from Turkey
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Adapted from Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières long-running French sci-fi comics series Valérian And Laureline. Luc Besson creates a stunning visual feast. Besson's attention to detail is immaculate. And that along side the quirky dialog's between Laureline and Valerian are what keep this film afloat. I might be in the minority, but I prefer my films to be lengthy. However in this case, Valerian feels overstuffed trying to add more depth to the story at every turn. This film might have benefited from a shorter run time. The biggest surprise was Laureline(Delevingne), her character is what kept my interest throughout the film and her acting was actually on point. As someone who was skeptical about her casting, I'm glad to be proved wrong. Not saying it's her breakout performance, Just saying she's improving and perhaps she might have a future as an actress. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Grade: B-

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Blue Cloud from Switzerland
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Watching 'Valerian and the City of Thousand Planets' I was reminded what makes Science Fiction so enjoyable. It's not the space fights, the cool alien life forms, the futuristic metropolis. It's that all these things remind us how infinite this space is, how tiny our existence, and how precious.

You probably have no idea what I am talking about. Just go watch this fantastic movie and you will understand. To make it short: This movie was perfect. It is a breathtaking, overwhelming vision of the celebrated comics, brought to life with heartblood by Luc Besson.

The less you know about the story the better. The film naming hero Valerian is connected through his dreams to a distant planet. It involves war between races, military intrigue, love & death, but more then any other SciFi movie, this one is about the journey not the destination. The countless side stories, and side characters are what makes this a breathing version of an unforgettable universe. This is the best Sci Fiction film I've seen since 'The Matrix'.

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coledenisen from United States
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I wanted to like this film. I really did. As a fan of the Fifth Element, I was expecting to find a well-developed plot, kitchy humor, memorable characters, and over-the-top action sequences. It had the action, but no soul. Neither of the two main characters had the acting chops to carry a scene, even the 'witty' banter came of scripted and flat as if Ben Stein had taken a heavy dose of lithium and stumble on set. The story also had several faux pas, including adding characters to advance parts of the story, only to kill them off a few minutes later.

The characters were flat and shallow. Valerian, the title character and the story's protagonist, was just plain not likable. He warranted no emotional investment. Instead of holding on to my seat in the big action sequences that threatened death and dismemberment, I felt myself not caring whether he lived or died. Part of this was due to the fact that he had the emotional range of a piece of plywood (think Hayden Christensen in Star Wars). I couldn't tell if he was professing his undying love or ordering a burger and fries at McDonalds.

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The main bad-guy, who is exactly who you think it is from the get- go, also warrants no emotional investment, especially considering he spends most of the movie is some sort of stasis. The reason to hate him is only revealed near the end of the movie in a flashback sequence, and I never knew enough about his character to even form an opinion about him. When he is finally defeated, you can barely marshal a shrug, because, once again, you just don't know enough about him to care.

Rihanna's character, who by-the-way had a beautiful introduction sequence, is another example of this shallow character building. Our hero finds himself needing to access an inaccessible area that only Rihanna can provide access to. Naturally he finds himself in a strip-club where he recruits her to help him through this, which she does, only to have her die WITHIN MINUTES of fulfilling her end. Her death sequence, which, judging by the musical score, was intended to be an emotional scene, falls on the side of apathy. We never knew enough about her character to care when/if she died. There was not enough time to build that emotional investment.

There were many other eye-rolling moments, including a direct rip from The Taken script and an alien who vows unrelenting vengeance only to NEVER SHOW UP IN THE MOVIE AGAIN, but they are much too numerous to list. All-in-all, Valerian was at best a lackluster movie experience that fell in the same trap that many big-budget films do: rely on over-the-top special effects to mask shoddy story telling and flat characters. Save your money for the red-box rental.

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