Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets - E... -

Upon release, Valerian was considered a financial disappointment (grossing only $225 million against its massive budget). Yet, in the streaming era, it has found a cult second life. Why?

"Galactic Odyssey"

DeHaan’s Valerian is pitched as a roguish lothario, but his performance feels overly youthful and intense, lacking the easy swagger the script demands. Delevingne’s Laureline is arguably the more compelling character—smarter, sharper, and more capable—but the chemistry between the two feels fraternal rather than romantic. Their bickering, meant to evoke classic screwball comedies, often comes across as petulant. Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets - E...

Valerian is not a subtle film. Critics often point to its flaws: the mismatched chemistry between leads Dane DeHaan (Valerian) and Cara Delevingne (Laureline), and a plot that pauses dead for a five-minute Rihanna burlesque hologram show (the character "Bubble"). However, this "Excess" is also its greatest strength. In an era of desaturated, "gritty" reboots, Besson throws pure, unfiltered color and absurdity at the screen. The costumes, designed by Olivier Bériot, look like they walked off a Paris fashion week runway set in a gamma-ray burst. "Galactic Odyssey" DeHaan’s Valerian is pitched as a

The sequence begins in 1975, with an American astronaut and a Soviet cosmonaut meeting aboard a primitive space station. The Cold War is still tangible, yet the act of docking their capsules is a gesture of fragile hope. When an alien species—resembling luminous, ethereal seals—arrives and offers a glowing pearl of energy, the humans hesitate, then accept. This handshake is the seed from which the City of a Thousand Planets (Alpha) will grow. Valerian is not a subtle film