Sometimes you gotta step into the mainstream and take in a 3D film.
That being said, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a true genre film. It hits all the beats of your regular sci-fi movie, some of them several times. It also hits the mark for 3D movies giving us a million of things to look at. Luc Besson creates this world of bright colors and a million species introducing us to Alpha, the City of a Thousand Planets.
Yes, there will be aliens here. And I’m not talking about how alien (ha ha, ok bad joke, I will shut up) Valerian (Dane DeHann) and Laureline (Cara Delevigne) look as supposedly badass cops. Also, the source is the original comic titled Valerian and Laureline. If you didn’t think that was going to go well you could have just titled it THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS and that will be that.
Nevertheless, this is a genre film. We have our introduction adventure where our heroes prove their mettle, and the real mission once we’ve gotten to know them. The problem is they look like kids where everyone else here is an adult. Everyone is literally older than them. I was more willing to accept the aliens in the movie than the leads. The suspension of disbelief is a little forced there.
That being said, what the movie promises, it delivers in spades. There’s thousand of colorful aliens everywhere, of every size and color imaginable. The action is the usual fare, there’s a big cameo I won’t tell you about – ok, it’s Rihanna. Don’t worry, you’ll recognize her right away.
Recommended for exactly what you want out of it, a time to switch off your brain and just swim in intergalactic bliss. There’s something of a political plot and message there and the movie tries to put a love story, but nothing heavier than the 3D glasses you’re wearing. There’s an audience for this film and they want loud and bright, which is the reason why the light story and the young casting doesn’t really interfere. I’m not really a fan of 3D as a feature yet, but I see why it does add a dimension (Thank you! I’ll be here all week) to it.
That will do for now.
Never Think Impossible 