It’s an exciting time for fans of science fiction.
Regardless of whether you prefer engrossing sagas told across multiple chapters (Star Trek: Discovery), or intense, far-flung adventures set in the dark recesses of space (Alien: Covenant), over the next few months the genre is set to churn out a number of high-profile IPs. But if we were to judge each property purely on spectacle alone, few compare to Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
Luc Besson’s long-in-development space oddity mines inspiration from Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières’ cult comic series – simply called Valérian and Laureline – and projects it onto the biggest canvas possible. Boasting jaw-dropping visual effects and a starry cast, on paper, the illustrious French filmmaker has pulled together all of the necessary ingredients for a blockbuster hit, and it’s fair to say that many are already beginning to compare Valerian with The Fifth Element, Besson’s sci-fi opus from yesteryear. High praise indeed, given how the latter has achieved cult status since its debut in ’97, but there are those who fear that The City of a Thousand Planets will suffer a fate similar to that of Jupiter Ascending. In short: all beauty, no brains, and ultimately a poor performance at the box office.
Only time will reveal Valerian‘s true fate, but we won’t have to wait too much longer to catch a glimpse of the film in action. On May 24th, EuropaCorp is planning to unleash another full trailer for the movie, which will no doubt draw attention to Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan as those aforementioned, time-travelling agents. Also on board are Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman as a mysterious extra-terrestrial, Herbie Hancock, and Kris Wu.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets zooms into theaters on July 21st.
