SNAPSHOT
Under directive from their Commander (Clive Owen), Valerian and Laureline embark on a mission to the breathtaking intergalactic city of Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis comprised of thousands of different species from all four corners of the universe. Alpha’s seventeen million inhabitants have converged over time- uniting their talents, technology and resources for the betterment of all. Unfortunately, not everyone on Alpha shares in these same objectives; in fact, unseen forces are at work, placing our race in great danger. (synopsis via Laughing Squid)
Luc Besson is hands down one of the most adventurous directors out there.
He doesn’t always translates his grand and kooky visions into successful films but when he does, such as with one of my all-time favourite movies The Fifth Element, the results are immersively and gloriously triumphant.
His new film, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, looks, visually at least, to be a soulmate successor to his earlier sci-fi masterpiece, plunging us into a universe full of alien beings, epically-structured worlds and titanic battles.
The trailer, which uses The Beatles’ “Because” as its emotive soundtrack, is more a suggestion of things to come than any attempt at hinting at a cohesive plot, and Besson, quoted on Hypable, says this was deliberate:
“Our mission for the teaser was very simple. We said, ‘It’s not about the story. Today, let’s introduce the two protagonists, Valerian and Laureline, and let’s the audience a flavor of the universe. Let’s give an ambience, let’s give a color.'”
Based on the groundbreaking graphic novel Valérian and Laureline, Valerian, written and directed by Luc Besson, opens on 21 July 2017 in USA and UK.