Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Name: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Released: July 21, 2017
Duration: 137 min
Rating: 51
Cast: Alain Chabat, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Dane DeHaan, Ethan Hawke

2017

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 45 Critics

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 542 Ratings

See All

6.4

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.4	Your Score
6.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 542 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (Trailer 3)

Movie Details & Credits

Belga Films | Release Date: July 21, 2017

Starring: Alain Chabat, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Dane DeHaan, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, Rihanna, Rutger Hauer, Sam Spruell

Summary: In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over theIn the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.… Expand

Director: Luc Besson

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 137 min

See All Details and Credits

Awards & Rankings

21	#21 Most Discussed Movie of 2017
44	#44 Most Shared Movie of 2017

Watch Now

Buy On

Stream On

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

RogerEbert.com - Peter Sobczynski

Jul 20, 2017

It's a film filled with humor, charm, excitement and so many memorable images that many viewers will find themselves struggling to keep from blinking so as not to miss any of the eye-popping delights crammed into each overstuffed frame. Read full review

The Film Stage - Jose Solís

Jul 18, 2017

Are there rules on how to make a space epic? If there are, Luc Besson has certainly never heard them because in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, he takes the genre upside down, gives it a shake and rattle, and delivers one of the most positively bonkers films of the year. Read full review

IGN - Jim Vejvoda

Jul 14, 2017

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets showcases plenty of cool creatures and ideas for sci-fi fans to savor, but if only the movie's central characters and their relationship were as exciting and interesting as all that impressive eye candy. Read full review

Arizona Republic - Barbara VanDenburgh

Jul 20, 2017

At its best, it hits the gut with the free-fall feel of a theme-park ride. But it’s a long and winding path back to the gate, and “Valerian” loses its way many times, however beautifully. Read full review

Wall Street Journal - Joe Morgenstern

Jul 20, 2017

Seldom has such a glittering wagon been hitched to such dull stars. Read full review

Paste Magazine - Will Leitch

Jul 27, 2017

Valerian wants to be weird and sexy but just won’t let itself. Read full review

The Hollywood Reporter - Todd McCarthy

Jul 10, 2017

At no point along the way does the film provide a reason to invest your interest in any of this. Read full review

SEE ALL 45 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

rebcca

Jul 23, 2017

I absolutely loved this movie! The alien worlds in this movie go beyond my imagination.The animation is absolutely amazing and breathtaking. The plot is well- developed and requires the viewer to figure out the story themselves. However, it could be improved. As someone who loves scienceI absolutely loved this movie! The alien worlds in this movie go beyond my imagination.The animation is absolutely amazing and breathtaking. The plot is well- developed and requires the viewer to figure out the story themselves. However, it could be improved. As someone who loves science fiction, I have thoroughly enjoyed this movie.… Expand

18 of 34 users found this helpful1816

morigath

Aug 16, 2017

It is an incredible story, beautiful graphic and real enjoyment. Agree with those who called it a piece of art. It definitely is. I really hope that the film will get it`s fame and fans sometime later, as all really good films do.

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

AthanasiosT

Jan 13, 2018

What SW (third trilogy) should/could have been. A poetic space opera, with an endless source of imagination. SFX at their best, costumes and unbelievable colors. If only, the two primary characters could be better acted, it would have been a masterpiece.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

EgeBerk

Aug 8, 2018

A space film with an incredible story of Valerian is really a very large issue, but it may sound like 3-4 films from this story, but it looks like some player choices seem to be wrong, especially the actor who plays Valerian is a very good player, but this role has been a little childish forA space film with an incredible story of Valerian is really a very large issue, but it may sound like 3-4 films from this story, but it looks like some player choices seem to be wrong, especially the actor who plays Valerian is a very good player, but this role has been a little childish for a good fighting agent too weak and too small. The movie is another complaint, but it is a bit complicated because it is a little bit complicated. This complexity was a bit simpler. It could be an incredible film from this story. I think the film is still nice but not very beautiful… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

eagleeyeviking

Jan 8, 2018

The visuals are eye-popping, the world inventive, and the action enthralling. The characters and acting is fine as well. It's just a pity that the story and third act doesn't hold up.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spangle

Jul 25, 2017

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a film that Luc Besson is the perfect man to bring forth to cinemas everywhere. An imaginative filmmaker, as demonstrated with The Fifth Element, the source material's imagination is renowned due to how it influenced the decades of scienceValerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a film that Luc Besson is the perfect man to bring forth to cinemas everywhere. An imaginative filmmaker, as demonstrated with The Fifth Element, the source material's imagination is renowned due to how it influenced the decades of science fiction films and universes that came in its wake. Set in the 28th Century, Valerian introduces the audience to the world as it is at the time. At the height of inter-species relations, the world has come together to create a floating city called, "Alpha". Playing host to species from every corner of the world in order to have all of them share knowledge with one another, it should come as no surprise that Alpha will also play host to a cover-up. Dreaming of an unknown species that relies upon the power found within a special pearl, Agent Valerian (Dane DeHaan) comes to realize that this species did once exist and is now subject to a cover-up hiding their destruction and existence from records. With the help of partner Agent Laureline (Cara Delevingne), it is up to the duo to reveal the secrets that lie within the heart of the Alpha ecosystem.

Unfortunately, Valerian is a film that greatly disappoints. Despite the strong pairing of director and material, as well as a largely strong casting job, the film winds up slipping up continuously. By the end, it is clear that one thing is true: the film would have been a lot better if it were not serious. Playing too often like a great satire on society by Paul Verhoeven, Valerian is instead Luc Besson making a film with dialogue and plotting so bad, it just has to be a satire. Unfortunately, it is not satire. Far too many lines elicit unintentional laughter. A saccharine explanation from Laureline to Valerian on what it means to love somebody is met by DeHaan uttering out, "I'd die for you." At the end of the film, when Valerian gives Laureline a ring, she says, "That's so romantic." One can argue that Valerian is a bit ahead of its time and will eventually find its audience, but lines such as these will never work. Future praise will have to note the way in which the film's dialogue slacks throughout or else that praise can be easily written off.

The film's dialogue and writing is the type that really leaves nothing to chance. Having characters explain their emotions and every feeling - especially in the dreadfully developed romance between Valerian and Laureline - the film trusts the audience to do very little in the way of thinking. Instead, it opts to spell out every detail to you, even if it is entirely frivolous. Often times, characters pop up and either explain their role to the audience or somebody else will have dialogue dedicated solely to explaining who they are and what that person will do in the story. Exposition-heavy lines regarding the world of Alpha, how everybody comes to share knowledge there, and the various groups found in the city, are not just forced, but horrifically written. Are we really to assume that two federal agents tasked with impossible missions have no idea who lives on Alpha? It is the center of their universe, yet they have no clue what happens there and need to have it explained to them? Hard to believe, at best. Thus, Besson needs to sprinkle it in the film in various doses. From flat-out having the computer explain it all to characters randomly dropping information about how the world works into an otherwise typical conversation, Valerian takes various approaches to teaching the audience about the world of Alpha. Unfortunately, none of it is useful - literally zero of the characters it introduces and explains pop up in the story - and all of it is heavy-handed anyways. For Valerian, it shortcuts world building by way of exposition. This has the unfortunate side effect of making it feel as though the world of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is not one worth exploring any further.

The way in which the romance between Valerian and Laureline, any character building moments, or side conversations, are written is really where Valerian plays like a satire. Written in such a way that the romance is the type of teenage angst that Nicholas Sparks would churn out to rave reviews among tween girls romanticizing about their first boyfriend, the romance never ceases to be awkward. Ignoring the complete and utter lack of romantic chemistry between Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, the scenes never work anyways. The filmmakers know what love looks like, so they included scenes that play out these moments. Playful, hurtful, and passionate, the scenes and the way in which they are staged often hint at the skeletal remains of love. Unfortunately, as with any bare bones rendition, it lacks any beating heart or emotion. DeHaan and Delevingne not only fail to sell the romance, but Besson's script fails to instill it with any feeling. It is written to be acted out, so who can truly blame the actors for not being able to bring the dead back to life.… Expand

5 of 10 users found this helpful55

C00kie

Oct 15, 2018

this movie doesn't make sense kthx this movie doesn't make sense kthx this movie doesn't make sense kthx

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 164 REVIEWS