Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
Movie · 2017 · Adventure, Science Fiction, Action · 2h 17m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.2/10 (452.3K ratings)
A universe without boundaries needs heroes without limits.
Overview
In the 28th century, Valerian and Laureline are special operatives charged with keeping order throughout the human territories. On assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two undertake a mission to Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis where species from across the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence, and cultures. At the center of Alpha is a mysterious dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.2/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Letterboxd: 2.70/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 47%
Metacritic: 51
TMDB: 6.6/10
Director
Luc Besson
Production
Belga Films, River Road Entertainment, Grive Productions, EuropaCorp, UFA, Fundamental Films
Cast
Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, Rutger Hauer, John Goodman, Elizabeth Debicki, Sam Spruell, Ola Rapace, Alain Chabat, Thom Findlay, Mathieu Kassovitz, Aymeline Valade, Sasha Luss, Pauline Hoarau, Jonas Bloquet, Sand Van Roy
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A wildly overdesigned, often exhilarating sci-fi spectacle with imaginative world-building and a playful sense of scale, but it’s also hampered by thin character work, uneven performances, and a messy script. If you can enjoy visual invention over narrative polish, it’s worth the ride.
Best for
viewers who prioritize visual imagination and production design
fans of glossy, eccentric space operas
people who enjoy big-budget sci-fi that swings for the fences
audiences open to campy, uneven blockbusters
Skip if
you need strong chemistry and character depth
you’re sensitive to clunky dialogue or wooden acting
you prefer tightly plotted science fiction
you want a more grounded or emotionally coherent adventure
Overview
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is the kind of blockbuster that seems determined to outpace its own script. It’s packed with ideas, creatures, textures, and neon-drenched environments that feel like a fever dream of European sci-fi comics and theme-park futurism. At its best, it’s genuinely transporting: a movie that believes in the pleasure of wandering through impossible places.
Worth noting
The problem is that the film often treats its leads like placeholders while the universe does the heavy lifting. The plotting is busy but not especially elegant, and the dialogue can be painfully stiff. Still, the sheer confidence of the design, the kinetic set pieces, and the commitment to visual excess make it easy to see why some viewers find it irresistible.
Bottom line
As a piece of pop spectacle, it’s more fascinating than polished, more ambitious than successful. That imbalance is part of its appeal: it’s a maximalist sci-fi adventure that keeps reaching for wonder, even when the storytelling can’t quite keep up.
Top Letterboxd reviews
davidehrlich (3★) · 1646 likes
Imagine if someone projected an entire decade’s worth of sci-fi space epics on the same screen, at the same time. Imagine you were in the audience for that event. Now imagine, for some insane reason, you decided to pre-game for the experience by eating an entire bag full of mushrooms that had been garnished with a fine layer of France’s best crystal meth. That, more or less, is what it feels like to watch Luc Besson’s delirious “Valerian and the… more Imagine if someone projected an entire decade’s worth of sci-fi space epics on the same screen, at the same time. Imagine you were in the audience for that event. Now imagine, for some insane reason, you decided to pre-game for the experience by eating an entire bag full of mushrooms that had been garnished with a fine layer of France’s best crystal meth. That, more or less, is what it feels like to watch Luc Besson’s delirious “Valerian and the… more
Patrick Willems (3.5★) · 1393 likes
During the chase scene in which Valerian is simultaneously in two dimensions at once, there's a single shot in which he crashes through five floors, each one with a totally different aesthetic
I gotta applaud that
stevie (1.5★) · 758 likes
This was like if Baz Luhrmann directed Star Wars: Episode I as a Disney Channel original movie with a surprising amount of misogyny
doinkdedoink (1.5★) · 708 likes
fellas is it gay for a boy to flirt with a girl when the boy has the soul of a woman inside him
Evan (4.5★) · 688 likes
*Disclaimer* once you all see this a lot of you will probably think I'm an absolute madman :P
Space operas are my fucking bread & butter.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets feels like it was made specifically for me. This movie is so far up my alley it's not even funny. Luc Besson created this immersive and beautiful world that I never wanted to leave. It is easily the most bonkers film I've seen. There's truly no other… more
2005 · Science Fiction, Action, Adventure · 1h 59m · PG-13 · Curator 6.2/10 (409.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For viewers who like ensemble space adventures with a lived-in universe and frontier energy.