Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - Final Trailer & Poster

My memories immediately veer to “The Fifth Element”, and remembering the wonder and fascination with the design and style sensibilities of what I personally term “European design” (a vibe I associate very strongly with “Heavy Metal” magazine), versus the “American”-based sci-fi aesthetics of “Star Wars”, “Star Trek” and it’s ilk - which I reckon the general populace has since mentally connected “space opera science fiction” with - which is all fun and good … BUT, I personally long to see MORE beyond the carbon-copy-clone of “sci-fi”,and I am hoping “Valerian” could provide me such a reprieve … and hopefully not needing to “sacrifice” a decent story for tho, IMHO.

"In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe."

Cast: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu

Director: Luc Besson

Writer: Screenplay by Gaby Chiappe. Based on the novel by Lissa Evans

Producers: Luc Besson and Virginie Besson-Silla

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is the visually spectacular new adventure film from Luc Besson, the legendary director of The Professional, The Fifth Element and Lucy, based on the ground-breaking comic book series which inspired a generation of artists, writers and filmmakers. In U.S. Theaters July 21, 2017.