The official teaser trailer for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is out today, and wow, is there a lot to unpack here. Will Luc Besson’s latest gift to the world of science fiction be The Fifth Element for 2017? Let’s take a look.
La Femme Nikita, Lucy and the Taken films are some of Besson’s most memorable works, but The Fifth Element is considered his cult film classic. The French director took a stab at American science fiction, and while it’s at times convoluted, complex, noisy, and makes little sense, he pretty much nailed it. Nearly 20 years later, it holds up.
Let’s take a look at the plot synopsis for Thousand Planets:
Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are special operatives for the government of the human territories charged with maintaining order throughout the universe.
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.
In the plot of Valérian and Laureline, the French graphic novel on which this film is based, we have a male protagonist who’s a military man of action but skeptical of his role in toeing that line. Give him 10 years, and he’s basically Bruce Willis aka Korben Dallas, retired with a cat and a smoking habit. Until, of course, he meet his match in a woman who kicks as much or more ass as he does.
Laureline is a peasant girl from 11th century France — not quite a lab-grown super-humanoid like Milla Jovovich’s Leeloo, but as much of an alien to the futuristic world she’s apparently time-travelled into. In the graphic novel, Laureline is savvy and bold, and that red hair certainly brings LeeLoo’s signature style to mind, even if Delevingne keeps her blonde in Thousand Planets.
Those are just the two main players: That’s not mentioning the flying vehicle scenes, the benevolent aliens traveling in packs of three, the orc-like baddies getting their asses kicked.
Then there’s Rihanna’s appearance as a stunning performer with a few surprises no doubt up her sleeves, as teased in the trailer. Remember the blue alien opera singer? Yeah, expect this kind of memorable moment again, when the film comes out in 2017. We’re ready.
