Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)
Story overview
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a visually stunning sci-fi adventure set in the 28th century, following special operatives Valerian and Laureline as they investigate a mysterious threat in Alpha, a vast intergalactic metropolis. The film combines action-packed sequences with imaginative world-building, featuring diverse alien species and futuristic technology, while exploring themes of cooperation, responsibility, and protecting diverse civilizations.
Parent Guide
A visually spectacular sci-fi adventure with moderate action violence and some suggestive elements. Suitable for mature children 10+ with parental guidance. Younger viewers may find some sequences intense or confusing.
Content breakdown
Sci-fi action violence including laser gun battles, spaceship combat, hand-to-hand fighting, and perilous situations. Characters are in frequent danger but injuries are mostly stylized with minimal blood. Some alien creatures are destroyed in combat sequences.
Intense action sequences with loud explosions and fast-paced combat. Some alien creatures may be frightening to younger viewers. The mysterious dark force and destruction of environments could be disturbing. Overall tone is adventurous rather than horror-oriented.
Minimal strong language. Occasional mild expletives and sci-fi jargon. No frequent or severe profanity.
Some suggestive dialogue and flirtation between main characters. Brief scenes with alien dancers in revealing costumes. One character performs a seductive dance. No explicit nudity or sexual situations.
No depiction of alcohol, drugs, or tobacco use in the futuristic setting.
Fast-paced adventure with moments of tension and peril. Some emotional scenes involving character relationships and the fate of civilizations. The 137-minute runtime may test younger viewers' attention spans.
Parent tips
This PG-13 rated film contains moderate sci-fi violence, intense action sequences, and some suggestive content. Best suited for viewers aged 10 and up with parental guidance. The complex plot and fast-paced visuals may overwhelm younger children. Consider discussing the film's themes of diversity and cooperation afterward.
Parent chat guide
Parent follow-up questions
- Did you like the colorful spaceships?
- Which alien creature was your favorite?
- Was there anything that looked scary to you?
- What was the most exciting part of the adventure?
- How did the characters help each other?
- What would you do if you visited Alpha city?
- What did you think about the relationship between Valerian and Laureline?
- How did the film show different cultures working together?
- What made the mission challenging for the characters?
- How effective was the world-building in creating a believable future?
- What themes about diversity and cooperation did you notice?
- How did the visual effects contribute to the storytelling?
🎭 Story Kernel
At its core, 'Valerian' is about colonialism and ecological guilt disguised as a space opera. The film's true driver isn't the paper-thin romance between its leads, but the suppressed memory of a genocide. The Pearls' idyllic planet Mul is destroyed by human military debris, making the titular City of a Thousand Planets—a multicultural haven—built on literal ashes. Major Valerian and Sergeant Laureline's mission to uncover a 'radiation leak' is actually a cover-up orchestrated by their commander to hide this war crime. The characters are ultimately motivated by atonement; Valerian risks everything not for love, but to return the last surviving Pearl egg and restore a murdered civilization.
🎬 Visual Aesthetics
Luc Besson weaponizes CGI to create a sensory overdose. The camera glides through impossibly dense, multi-layered environments like the interdimensional market Big Market, using deep focus to cram every frame with alien life. The color palette violently shifts: Mul is bathed in turquoise oceans and pearlescent whites, while Alpha station is a neon-drenched cyberpunk noir. Action sequences prioritize spectacle over coherence—the chase through the market's dimensions is creatively ambitious but emotionally weightless. Symbolism appears in the Pearls' bioluminescent technology, representing pure, organic harmony contrasted against humanity's clunky, destructive machinery.
🔍 Details & Easter Eggs
💡 Behind the Scenes
Luc Besson wrote the first draft in the 1990s but waited 20 years for CGI to catch up to his vision. The film's most expensive sequence, the Big Market, cost more than Besson's entire film 'Lucy.' Cara Delevingne performed most of her own stunts, including wire work. Rihanna's shape-shifting dancer Bubble was created using performance capture with Serbian contortionist actor. The production built over 700 unique alien designs, with only a fraction making the final cut. Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne reportedly had little chemistry off-screen, which critics noted mirrored their on-screen dynamic.
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Trailer
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