Review of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) by Luke E — 10 Aug 2017

One of my most anticipated films of 2017 instantaneously became one of my favorite films of the year. Even if I saw 'The Fifth Element' way back in 1997 only for it to become a genuine cult classic 20 years down the line, I wouldn't be mistaking Luc Besson's new film in any sense or form either.

Being Adapted from a sci-fi action comic he loved in his youth, with the aid of big special effects and largest production budget for any film made in France to date, 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' is a film worthy enough to give Hollywood franchises like 'Star Wars' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy' a run for their money.

Sadly that's not the case here, due to being based on foreign material the film will barely scrape the lines especially due to the contextual nature of the overall production. The film itself however is an amazing spectacle of sci-fi space opera extravaganza that immerses viewers in such an odd but versatile, surreal and entertaining cinematic experience, with the most outstanding visual palette I've seen all year.

Add to that, Besson's direction was slick and smooth as ever with a script that makes up for the delivery of the scale and nature of the world and action as it does with the plotting, even while the overall casting doesn't hit any high points.

I felt like I was right at home with a film like this added I'm also a huge fan of the surreal nature of European comics. Lastly, while the film is hard to compete with and the payoff is a little predictable, this is clearly a Cult Classic in the making and viewers will have to embrace it for what it is to really see what it may become.

A rare treat that payed off big time, unless you think it's too weird.