Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets — A Review

27th May, 2018.

It’s true: I really can’t resist OMD’s finest thirty-seven minutes.

To the point where you’re getting sick of it!

To be fair, though … ?

It’s been a favourite for the past … 

Well, since 1981, about the time I got is on cassette.

Along side From A to B by New Muzic, and one or two other things I won’t admit to!

At ANY rate … ?

I might just dig up Dazzle Ships or English Electric, next: just for a change of pace!





At any rate, and moving quickly along?

It’s a Sunday night … a Sunday where I wasn’t working.

Which means just the one thing.

Yes: I’ve caught a movie.

And yes: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a mouthful!

~≈§≈~

Based on the comic, Valérian and Laureline, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets introduces us to Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and his partner, Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevigne): a pair  working for humanity’s government as roving special agents.

And assigned to retrieve a Mül converter — the last of its kind — from an inter-dimensional trade area called Big Market.

There’s problems.

The original owners want the converter back, assorted gangsters are extremely interested in the thing …

And Commandet Arün Fillitt (Clive Owen), the bickering pair’s commanding officer, is desperate to hide a filthy little secret.

A battle he fought, over a planet called Mül … 

~≈§≈~

Now … mouthful?

Good grief, yes: just Valerian would’ve done, I think.

Which detracts a little from the central question: did I think this is a good film, one worth watching?

I’ll give it a qualified yes, I think.

While it’s not exactly the most coherent of plots, and both DeHaan and Delavigne are a little wooden, Valerian does have some nice action sequences, and moves at a reasonable pace.

And, granted the central stars aren’t going to win any Oscars, they both do a competent enough job: Delavigne in particular.

It also got some beautiful design* work.

Absolutely gorgeous design work: possibly the best thing about it.

Personally?

It’s not a perfect film.

But Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is watchable.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
★★☆☆

*        5th June, 2018.   I’ve been meaning to mention this for a while: and take the chance to do so, now.   I don’t know if you were ever one for role playing games, back in the day: but I was.   Or at least, read a few.   One favourite?   Was the SF game, Traveller, with its feudal setting, huge range … and assorted aliens.   I mention this?   Because the k-tron robots in the film vaguely reminded me of the Vegans: and the Doghan-Dagui vaguely reminding me of the Droyne.   Whether the Valerian aliens were based on the species in Traveller?   Is a whole other matter.   But that’s how they looked to me.   (It’s the neck muscle on the Vegan heads, and the wings on the Droyne: THAT’S what I was looking at.)

Doghan-Daguis

K-tron

Vegans

Droyne