A fun wild ride and an amazing visual spectacle is the best way to describe Luc Besson’s latest movie ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’.

Currently playing at local cinemas, this movie is the latest sci-fi action flick from the man who brought us classics like ‘The Fifth Element’ and ‘Lucy’.

Based on the French comic book series ‘Valérian and Laureline’, written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières, the movie revolves around a happy-go-lucky space agent, Major Valerian (played by Dane DeHaan) and his no-nonsense partner Sergeant Laureline (played by
model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne).

Set in the distant future, the movie sees both agents on a mission to save the city of Alpha, a space station made up of millions of beings from various species from around the galaxy living in peace.

While both DeHaan and Delevingne do a passable job playing our two heroes, it’s the film’s visual style that really steals the show.

The creative futuristic worlds and alien species are absolutely breathtaking.

Adding to the cast is Clive Owen playing Commander Arün Filitt, singing sensation Rihanna playing the shape-changing alien Bubble, Alain Chabat as Bob the Pirate and Ethan Hawke as Jolly.

The story itself makes for a fun journey from various planets to the streets of Alpha where the audiences gets to see so many visually stunning sights and characters.

While ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’ may have divided critics and performed poorly at the U.S. box office, there’s still a good chance it will perform well in the global market and even here in the Pacific region.

It definitely makes for an adventurous run and has many of the components that made Besson’s other sci-fi epic ‘The Fifth Element’ so enjoyable.

While this movie may not be on the same level as ‘The Fifth Element’, the script and direction still provide a very entertaining couple of hours showcasing why Luc Besson is still one of the most enjoyable filmmakers of the current era.
So the question is, would I recommend watching ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’? Definitely.

Feedback: jonathan.b@fijisun.com.fj