: Always compare your combined ship and crew power rating against the recommended level for a galaxy before launching a mission to avoid failure. Factory Upgrades
The true protagonist of the film is arguably , the titular City of a Thousand Planets. The movie’s iconic opening sequence—set to David Bowie’s "Space Oddity"—chronicles how Alpha evolved from the International Space Station in 1975 into a massive, free-floating metropolis housing thousands of different alien species.
The narrative follows Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne), two special operatives for the government of the human territories in the 28th century. Charged with maintaining order throughout the universe, the duo is dispatched by the Minister of Defense on a mission to the breathtaking intergalactic city of Alpha. Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets - E...
Despite its commercial flaws, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets remains a breath of fresh air in an era heavily saturated with formulaic superhero franchises. It is a bold, uncompromising piece of cinema that prioritizes unbridled creativity, stunning color palettes, and environmental messages over safe storytelling conventions. For anyone who appreciates the pure artistry of visual effects and world-building, this cosmic journey is a spectacle well worth revisiting.
As they dive deeper into the mystery, they uncover a dark military conspiracy. The plot revolves around the , a peaceful, holistic, and technologically harmonious species whose utopian home planet, Mül, was completely destroyed as collateral damage during an interstellar space battle decades prior. The film shifts from a standard procedural space cop mission into a poignant commentary on colonialism, corporate greed, military cover-ups, and the ultimate power of empathy and environmental stewardship. Groundbreaking Visual Effects : Always compare your combined ship and crew
The film’s indisputable triumph is its visualization of Alpha, the “City of a Thousand Planets.” Besson and his design team translate Mézières’ retro-futuristic line art into a vibrant, sprawling metropolis where thousands of species coexist. The opening sequence, a montage set to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” masterfully shows the International Space Station expanding over centuries as alien races dock and integrate. This sequence, devoid of dialogue, represents the film at its purest: a hopeful, elegant depiction of peaceful cosmic evolution. Later set pieces, such as the multidimensional market on planet Kyrian—where characters must don special glasses to navigate shifting realities—demonstrate Besson’s peerless ability to stage action within a fully three-dimensional, constantly surprising environment. Every frame is dense with alien life, holographic advertisements, and architectural wonders, rewarding repeated viewings for detail-oriented fans of speculative design.
Compare it further to the Valerian and Laureline comic series. Suggest similar sci-fi films to watch next. The narrative follows Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and
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The film thrives on unconventional narrative set-pieces, including:
Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) is a cinematic paradox: a film of breathtaking imagination and frustrating execution. Based on the French comic series Valérian and Laureline by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières—a work that directly inspired Star Wars —the film arrived with a legacy of influential source material and a $180 million budget. While it delivers an unparalleled sensory feast of world-building and visual effects, it ultimately stumbles over its lead characters and dialogue. This essay argues that Valerian is best understood as a landmark of production design and conceptual art, yet a cautionary tale about the irreplaceable need for emotional authenticity and charismatic casting in science fiction.
For all its creative ambition, Valerian became one of the most notorious box-office bombs in cinema history. With a production budget estimated between $177 million and $210 million, it earned the dual distinction of being both the most expensive European film and the most expensive independent film ever made. "He’s adapting a graphic novel that was fundamental to his childhood," Besson explained, but this passion project would ultimately come at a great cost.