By Travis Johnson
The received wisdom is that only previously established properties, ala Marvel, Star Wars, and whatever else Disney has bought while we were sleeping, are the only things with even half a chance of doing well at the box office. But a) what a horrible, horrible thought, and b) that viewpoint is inherently Anglo-centric. The French have comics too, ya know! And it’s clear from this clip the the Valerian and Laureline sci-fi books had a hell of an effect on a young Luc Besson, and he’s now having an absolute ball bringing them to the big screen.
All else aside, the design work on display in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is nothing short of exquisite; as one of the founders of cinema du look, Besson’s eye has always been his best asset, and age seems not to have dimmed it. Indeed, the more we see of Valerian the more excited we get – here’s hoping it carves out a place for itself in the increasingly crowded market when it hits out cinemas on August 10, 2017.
