| Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Valérian et la Cité des mille planètes |
| Directed by | Luc Besson |
| Screenplay by | Luc Besson |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Virginie Besson-Silla |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Thierry Arbogast |
| Edited by | Julien Rey |
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat[1] |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 137 minutes[3] |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | |
| Box office | $226 million[2] |
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (French:Valérian et la Cité des mille planètes) is a 2017space opera film[10] written and directed byLuc Besson, and produced by his wife,Virginie Besson-Silla. It is based on the Frenchscience fiction comics seriesValérian and Laureline, written byPierre Christin, illustrated byJean-Claude Mézières, and published byDargaud. It starsDane DeHaan andCara Delevingne as Valerian and Laureline, respectively, withClive Owen,Rihanna,Ethan Hawke,Herbie Hancock,Kris Wu andRutger Hauer in supporting roles. Besson independently financed and personally funded the film. With a production budget of around $180 million, it is both the most expensive European and the most expensiveindependent film ever made.[11]
Two operatives of the United Human Federation are on a mission to Alpha, a city inhabited by thousands of species from different planets. Their latest mission is to uncover a destructive force beneath the sprawling city, realizing it threatens not just Alpha, but the entire universe.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was released on 20 July 2017 in Germany byBuena Vista International andUniversum Film, in the United States on 21 July bySTXfilms, in France on 26 July byEuropaCorp Distribution, in China on 25 August byChina Film Group, in Belgium on 26 August byBelga Films, and 27 November in United Arab Emirates byGulf Film.[12][13] It received mixed reviews from critics, who criticised the plot and some of the casting, but praised the visuals. It grossed $226 million worldwide, but due to its high production and advertising costs, was considered abox-office bomb following its release in the United States.[14][15][16]
In the 28th century, cooperation between the Earth and extraterrestrial species has expanded the formerInternational Space Station to the point its mass threatens gravitational disruption to Earth. Relocated to deep space, it becomes Alpha, a space-traveling city inhabited by 3,236 species from hundreds of planets.Valerian andLaureline are partners in the United Human Federation police.
Valerian has a dream of the planet Mül, where a low-techhumanoid race fishes for pearls containing energy, which is converted by a small animal for use. A huge spacecraft crashes into the planet, causing anextinction event. The planet's princess, Lihö-Minaa, is stranded outside, but before she dies, she conveys an energy wave containing atelepathic message.
Valerian and Laureline are on a mission to retrieve the last Mül converter animal, which is in the hands ofblack market dealer Igon Siruss. In a marketplace on planet Kirian in an alternate dimension, Valerian disrupts a meeting between Igon and two hooded figures similar to the humanoids from his dream. They, too, seek the converter. Valerian and Laureline recover the converter, and Valerian steals an energy pearl. They learn that Mül was destroyed 30 years earlier, and information about it is classified.
Onboard Alpha, commander Arün Filitt informs them that the center of the station has been irradiated by an unknown force, rendering it highly toxic. Troops sent into the area have not returned and the radiation levels are increasing. Laureline and Valerian are assigned to protect the commander during an interstation summit on the crisis; against the commander's wishes, Laureline maintains possession of the converter.
During the summit, Mül humanoids attack and kidnap Filitt. Valerian chases the kidnappers to the irradiated area but crashes hisspaceplane. Laureline enlists alien information brokers to find Valerian at the edge of the irradiated zone. She is kidnapped by a primitive tribe and presented as the choice course at their emperor's dinner. Valerian infiltrates the tribe's territory with the help of a shape-shifter named Bubble. Laureline and Valerian escape, but Bubble is fatally wounded. Valerian and Laureline venture into the irradiated area, discovering it is not dangerous and contains an antique spacecraft. They find the humanoids, the Pearls, with an unconscious Filitt.
Pearl Emperor Haban Limaï explains that his people lived peacefully on Mül until a battle occurred on their world between the Federation and a hostile alien race. The human commander Filitt ordered the use offusion missiles to destroy the enemy mothership, but inadvertently resulted in Mül's destruction. Upon her death, Princess Lihö-Minaa transferred her soul into Valerian's body. Haban and some of Mül's inhabitants survive in a previously crashed vessel. Trapped in the spaceship, the surviving Pearls repaired it and learned human technology and history. Scrap ships took them to Alpha, where they assimilated knowledge from different species and built their own ship. They need the converter and pearl to launch it, so they can find a new home.
Filitt admits his role in the genocide but argues it was necessary to end the war and cover it up to prevent humans from losing credibility and influence in Alpha. Valerian and Laureline argue that the commander is trying to avoid the consequences of his actions. When Filitt becomes belligerent, Valerian knocks him out.
Valerian hands over the pearl he took from Igon, and Laureline persuades him to return the converter. While the Pearls prepare their spacecraft for takeoff, Filitt's K-Tron robot soldiers attack them, but Valerian and the surviving government soldiers defeat the robots. The spacecraft departs, and Filitt is arrested.
Valerian and Laureline are left adrift aboard anApollo Command/Service Module, where she answers his marriage proposal with a "maybe" as they await rescue.
Although Luc Besson loved theValerian comics while growing up, he did not seriously consider adapting them into a movie until he was working onThe Fifth Element. During development, Besson had hiredValerian illustratorJean-Claude Mézières to work on the film, who asked Besson, "Why are you doing this shitty film? Why you don't doValerian?"[21] At the time, Besson felt that making the film was "impossible" given the vast alien-to-human ratio.[21] The release ofAvatar served as both a blessing and a curse for Besson; he has said, "technically, I could see that we can do everything now. The film proved that imagination is the only limit." However, he also felt that "James Cameron pushed all the levels so high", which made him believe that his script was not good enough, so he rewrote it.[21] Ultimately, thestoryboarding for the film took seven months.[22]
The project was first publicly reported in 2012.[23] The two principal stars,Dane DeHaan andCara Delevingne, were announced in May 2015.[24] On 19 August 2015,Clive Owen signed on to play Commander Arün Filitt in the film.[25] The budget, €197 million, is by far the largest ever assembled for a French film. Previously,Asterix at the Olympic Games was the most expensive, at €78 million, just ahead of Besson'sThe Fifth Element (€75 million).[26] By the end of August 2015, Besson said in an RTL radio interview that shooting the film in France was too expensive. Because it was filmed in a foreign language (English), Besson was unable to benefit fromtax credits, despite preferring to produce the film in France and create jobs for 1,200 crew members.[26][27] The criteria to obtain these tax credits were then adapted accordingly. In May 2015, it was announcedFundamental Films would investUS$50 million in the film.[28]
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Principal photography on the film began on 5 January 2016 in sevensound stages dedicated to the film at theCité du Cinéma, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.[22][29] In total, there are 2,734 visual effect shots.[30] The humanoid race the Pearls were completely synthetic creations byWeta Digital, which generated the characters from performances by actors withmotion-capture equipment for their faces and bodies.[31]
Thetrailer featuredthe Beatles song "Because", which was the first time a Beatles master recording had been featured in a film advertisement.[32]
Industrial Light and Magic,Weta Digital andRodeo FX provided the effects for the film withScott Stokdyk as the main supervisor.[33]
The first teaser forValerian was released on 10 November 2016.[34] The teaser depicts Marmakas, an Entertainer (Bubble, identified as "Glamopod" in the film), Bagoulins, and Shingouz (known as "Doghan Daguis" in the film), who all appear in the comic bookAmbassador of the Shadows; much of the film's setting and story is also derived from that instalment. A special exclusive preview ofValerian was shown prior to theFathom Events 4K restoration showing ofThe Fifth Element on 14 May and 17 May.[35][36]
Valerian was released in Israel on 20 July 2017,[37] on 21 July in the United States, on 26 July in France.[38] and on 2 August in the UK[39]Lionsgate handles the film's release in the United Kingdom and Ireland,[40] andSTX Entertainment distributes the film in the United States.[41] The film was released on 25 August 2017 in China.[42]
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was released online on 7 November 2017, and on Ultra HDBlu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on 21 November 2017.[43][44]
In 2018,Europa-Park added VR to its roller coaster,Eurosat - CanCan Coaster themed aroundValerian as part of the roller coaster's refurbishment before it closed in 2024 and reopened as aPhantom of the Opera-themed experience that same year.
The official soundtrack forValerian was released on 21 July 2017 onvinyl,CD, anddownload.[45] The total duration of this soundtrack album is exactly the same number of minutes as the duration of the film itself — 137 minutes.
| Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Film Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | 21 July 2017 | |||
| Genre | Pop,Rock,Film Score | |||
| Length | 137:08 | |||
| Label | Valerian S.A.S. | |||
| Producer | Xavier Forcioli | |||
| Alexandre Desplat chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Valerian | ||||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Market" (written by Luc Besson) | Alexandre Desplat | 2:05 |
| 2. | "Space Oddity" | David Bowie | 5:18 |
| 3. | "I Feel Everything" | Cara Delevingne | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Jamming" | Bob Marley | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Bus Attack" | Alexandre Desplat | 3:08 |
| 6. | "We Trying to Stay Alive" | Wyclef Jean featuringPras &John Forté | 3:13 |
| 7. | "Arriving on Alpha" | Alexandre Desplat | 2:06 |
| 8. | "A Million on My Soul (Radio Edit)" | Alexiane | 2:59 |
| 9. | "Rappcats (Instrumental)" | Quasimoto | 2:02 |
| 10. | "Bubble Dance" | Julien Rey | 2:25 |
| 11. | "Spaceship Chase" | Alexandre Desplat | 3:33 |
| 12. | "The World (Is Going up in Flames)" | Charles Bradley | 3:22 |
| 13. | "A Million on My Soul" | Alexiane | 4:07 |
| 14. | "Medusa" | Alexandre Desplat | 1:59 |
| 15. | "Pearls on Mul" | Alexandre Desplat | 7:36 |
| 16. | "Reading the Memo" | Alexandre Desplat featuring Trug | 1:23 |
| 17. | "Flight Above the Big Market" | Alexandre Desplat | 2:44 |
| 18. | "Showtime" | Alexandre Desplat | 2:38 |
| 19. | "Valerian in Trouble" | Alexandre Desplat | 1:38 |
| 20. | "Pearls Attack" | Alexandre Desplat | 4:05 |
| 21. | "Valerian's Armor" | Alexandre Desplat | 2:09 |
| 22. | "Submarine" | Alexandre Desplat | 3:00 |
| 23. | "Shoot" | 1:35 | |
| 24. | "Fishing for Butterflies" | 1:58 | |
| 25. | "Le souper du Roi" | 1:59 | |
| 26. | "Boulanbator Combat" | 3:02 | |
| 27. | "Bubble" | 2:32 | |
| 28. | "Pearl's World" | 6:24 | |
| 29. | "The City of 1000 Planets" | 3:50 | |
| 30. | "I Am a Soldier" | 2:04 | |
| 31. | "Pearls Power" | 1:49 | |
| 32. | "Final Combat" | 7:06 |
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets grossed $40.5 million in the United States and Canada and $184.7 million internationally (including $41.2 million in France), for a worldwide total of $226 million.[2] With a production budget around $180 million, the film would have needed to gross $400 million worldwide in order tobreak even and justify a sequel.[11]
In North America,Valerian opened alongsideDunkirk andGirls Trip, and was initially projected to gross $20–25 million from 3,553 theaters, although some insiders believed it would open in the teens.[16][46] It made $6.5 million on its first day, including $1.7 million from Thursday night previews at 2,600 theaters, lowering weekend projections to $16.5 million. The film ended up debuting to $17 million, finishing 5th at the box office, leadingDeadline Hollywood to already label the film a domesticbox office bomb,[9] and causing an 8.31% fall of the EuropaCorp stock on the following Monday.[15] In its second weekend, the film dropped 62% to $6.4 million, finishing 8th at the box office.[47] In its third and fourth weekends the film made $2.4 million and $901,323, finishing 12th and 17th and dropping another 62% both times.[48]
Outside North America, the film opened in 16 markets alongside the US and made $6.5 million over its opening weekend, including $2.5 million in Germany.[49] In France, the film made $3.72 million (€3.19 million) on its first day, the second-best opening day of 2017 there behindDespicable Me 3.[50] In China, the film made $9.9 million on its first day from 78,000 screens, becoming the first film to displaceWolf Warrior 2 at the country's box office.[51] It went on to open to $29 million,topping the box office.[52] The largest territory for the film was China, withUS$62.1 million.[2]
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its visuals while criticizing the plot and some of the casting.[16] On review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 48% based on 300 reviews, with an average rating of 5.50/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets uses sheer kinetic energy and visual thrills to overcome narrative obstacles and offer a viewing experience whose surreal pleasures often outweigh its flaws."[53] OnMetacritic, which assigns aweighted average rating to reviews, the film has a score of 51 out of 100, based on reviews from 45 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[54] On French entertainment information websiteAlloCiné, the film has an average grade of 3.0/5, based on 31 critics.[55] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[9]
David Ehrlich ofIndieWire gave the film a grade of B−, praising how "unapologeticallyidiosyncratic" the film is, while also saying "the vividness of this place only underscores the lifelessness of the people leading us through it .... There are 394 million stories on the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian's might be the only one we've seen before. Still, any excuse to visit this place is one worth taking."[56] Peter Sciretta of/Film touted the first half ofValerian as "unpredictable and bonkers insane", while calling the second half more formulaic and "far less exciting", though he still encouraged seeing the film in 3D "on the biggest screen possible".[57]Ignatiy Vishnevetsky ofThe A.V. Club wrote that it was "rare […] to see a film this extravagant that also feels, for better or worse, like the work of a single personality. The longer action scenes may not always rank with Besson's early '90s highlights [...] or the mania of the more recentLucy, but there isn't a moment in this ludicrous, lushly self-indulgent movie that doesn't feel like its creator is having the time of his life."[58]
Todd McCarthy ofThe Hollywood Reporter gave a negative review, saying: "The Razzies don't need to wait until the end of the year to anoint a winner for 2017 ... Hollywood studio chiefs can breathe easy that, this time, at least, they'll escape blame for making a giant summer franchise picture that nobody wants to see, since this one's a French import."[59]A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times was also less than happy with the film, writing the effort "feels as if it were made up on the spot, by someone so delighted by the gaudy genre packaging at his disposal that he lost track of what was supposed to be inside."[60]National Public Radio film critic, Mark Jenkins, wrote in a negative review that the film's "perspective often seems more 19th- than 26th-century, notably in a sequence where Laureline is captured by members of a hostile species and forced to don a white dress to be presented to their emperor. The blobby computer-generated creatures resemble natives from the most racist ofTarzan movies."[61]
At the44th Saturn Awards,Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was nominated for theSaturn Awards forBest Science Fiction Film,Best Production Design (Hugues Tissandier), andBest Costume Design (Olivier Bériot); all respectively lost toBlade Runner 2049 (2017),Black Panther (2018,Hannah Beachler), andBeauty and the Beast (2017,Jacqueline Durran).[62]
Though the film was a box office bomb, director Luc Besson claimed in September 2017 that a sequel was still possible due to positive fan reaction.[63]
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