In the pantheon of 21st-century science fiction cinema, few films have dared to dream as big—or as colorfully—as Luc Besson’s 2017 adaptation of the beloved French comic series, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. While the film received mixed reviews upon release, focusing heavily on its casting choices and dialogue, a growing contingent of sci-fi enthusiasts has since reappraised the movie for what it truly is: a groundbreaking visual spectacle and a love letter to the source material that inspired classics like Star Wars.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5 – A visual masterpiece hampered by its leads, but essential viewing for hardcore sci-fi fans.) Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets - E...
Origin: It began as the International Space Station (ISS) in Earth's orbit. Over centuries, thousands of alien species docked their own modules to it, sharing knowledge and culture. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
This backstory ties into the film’s deeper meta-narrative. Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières’ original comic, upon which the film is based, began in 1967. It is widely acknowledged that Star Wars borrowed heavily from the aesthetic of Valérian and Laureline. When Valerian the movie was released, critics called it a Star Wars rip-off, ignoring the irony that the progenitor was being accused of imitating the imitator. The film’s design—specifically the design of the Pearls and the spaceship—is a reclaiming of a sci-fi visual language that originated in French bande dessinée. Over centuries, thousands of alien species docked their
The Setting: Much of the action takes place on Alpha, a massive, ever-expanding space station where thousands of species from across the universe live together and share knowledge.
Main Cast: Dane DeHaan (Valerian) and Cara Delevingne (Laureline).
The full title refers to "Alpha" — the eponymous city of a thousand planets. What Besson achieves here is staggering. The film opens with a montage set to David Bowie’s "Space Oddity" showing the International Space Station gradually absorbing more and more international, then alien, docking ports over centuries. By the 28th century, Alpha is a teeming, bio-diverse metropolis the size of a moon.