This article is about the Movie Adaptation. For other uses, see Valerian/Disambiguation
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is an 2017 science fiction adventure film, directed by Luc Besson, based on the comic series "Valerian and Laureline".
Synopsis[]
Under directive from their Commander, 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.[1]
Plot[]
In the 28th century, the former International Space Station has reached critical mass, making it too dangerous to keep in Low Earth Orbit. Relocated to deep space, it became Alpha, a space-traveling city inhabited by millions of creatures from thousands of planets. A special police division is created to preserve peace through the galaxy, including happy-go-lucky Major Valerian and his partner, no-nonsense Sergeant Laureline.
En route to a mission, Valerian dreams of a planet where a low-tech humanoid race lives peacefully. They fish for pearls containing enormous amounts of energy, and use small animals to replicate them. Wreckage begins plummeting from the sky, triggering an apocalypse. Before the explosion reaches the surface, a young princess manages to send out a telepathic signal.
Shaken, Valerian awakes. After an analysis reveals he might have received a signal from across time and space, he learns that his mission is to retrieve a "Mül converter", so-called for being able to replicate anything it eats. It is the last of its kind, and currently in the hands of black market dealer Igon Siruss. Before setting out, Valerian asks Laureline to marry him, but she brushes him off, due to his many affairs with female colleagues and his aversion to commitment.
Travelling to a massive extra-dimensional bazaar called Big Market, Valerian disrupts a meeting between Igon and two hooded figures who look like the humanoids from his vision. They also seek the converter, which is revealed to be one of the small animals he saw in his vision. Valerian and Laureline recover the converter, and he surreptitiously steals one of the pearls. Aboard their ship, he learns that Mül was destroyed 30 years earlier, and all information about it is classified.
They return to Alpha, where their superior, frosty Commander Arün Filitt, informs them the center of the station has been infected by an unknown force, rendering it highly toxic. Troops sent into the area have not returned, and the infection is growing. Laureline and Valerian are assigned to protect the commander during an interstation summit to discuss the crisis. Against the Commander's wishes, Laureline maintains possession of the converter.
During the summit, the humanoids suddenly attack, incapacitating everyone before kidnapping Filitt. Valerian chases the kidnappers to the infected area and crashes his vehicle. Evading arrest for insubordination, Laureline enlists the help of some aliens to track Valerian, and finds him unconscious at the edge of the infected zone. She wakes him, but is kidnapped by a primitive imperial tribe called "Boulan Bathors" that lives nearby. Valerian infiltrates the tribe's territory with the help of a shape-shifting dancer, Bubble. They save Laureline and escape, but Bubble is mortally wounded. As she dies, she convinces Valerian to never give up on his feelings for Laureline.
Valerian and Laureline venture further into the infected area, realizing it is actually not toxic and contains some wrecks of antique spacecraft. They reach a large shielded hall where they find the humanoids, known as Pearls, with an unconscious Filitt. Their leader, Emperor Haban Limaï, explains that his people lived peacefully on Mül until a battle broke out in orbit between the human government's fleet and another species. The human commander, Filitt, ordered the use of a doomsday weapon that annihilated both the enemy and the planet. Upon dying, Princess Lihö-Minaa transferred her soul into Valerian's body. A small group of survivors took shelter in a crashed human spaceship. They managed to repair it, and learned of the humans' technology and history. They eventually came to Alpha, where they assimilated more knowledge and built a ship that could recreate their former home. They needed only the converter and the pearl to launch the ship. Filitt admits his role in the genocide, but argues that it was necessary to end the war, and the cover-up to prevent the humans from being expelled from Alpha. Valerian and Laureline disagree, stating that the commander has only been trying to save himself from the consequences for his actions, before Valerian knocks him out again.
Valerian hands over the pearl he stole, and Laureline convinces him to return the converter too, ignoring procedures. While the Pearls' spacecraft prepares for takeoff to no more bother the other species in Alpha, Filitt's pre-programmed robot K-Tron soldiers attack the Pearls, the government soldiers who were sent to assist Valerian, and their support staff, but are ultimately defeated. The spacecraft departs and Filitt is arrested. Valerian and Laureline are left adrift onboard a still working Apollo Command/Service Module, which is identified by radio technicians as "Destiny 2005", and Laureline finally accepts Valerian's marriage proposal as they wait for rescue.
Cast[]
- Dane DeHaan as Major Valerian.
- Cara Delevingne as Sergeant Laureline.
- Clive Owen as Commander Arün Filitt.
- Rihanna as Bubble.
- Ethan Hawke as Jolly the Pimp.
- Kris Wu as Sergeant Neza.
- John Goodman as the voice of Igon Siruss.
- Rutger Hauer as the President of the World State Federation.
- Herbie Hancock as the Defence Minister.
- Elizabeth Debicki as the voice of Emperor Haban Limaï.
- Sam Spruell as General Okto Bar.
- Ola Rapace as Major Gibson.
- Alain Chabat as Bob the Pirate.
- Thom Findlay as the voice of the Pirates.
- Mathieu Kassovitz as Camelot on Big Market.
- Jonas Bloquet as K-Tron Warrior/Control Room Soldier.
- Sand Van Roy as Jessica Rabbit Creature.
- Sasha Luss as Princess Lihö-Minaa.
- Louis Leterrier as Captain Welcoming Mercurys.
- Olivier Megaton as Captain Welcoming KCO2.
- Gavin Drea as Sergeant Cooper.
- Eric Lampaert as Guide Thaziit.
Gallery[]
