Electronic/Synthwave
The film’s pièce de résistance is the "Big Market" sequence. Here, Besson visualizes a concept that could only exist in cinema: a dimensional marketplace where tourists in a barren desert wear virtual reality headsets to shop in a bustling, futuristic bazaar existing in another dimension. The interplay between the tactile desert reality and the digital overlay creates a heist sequence that is innovative, confusing, and utterly exhilarating. It represents the peak of the film’s ambition: using CGI not just to blow things up, but to bend the rules of physics and perception. Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets - E...
Luc Besson, a lifelong fan of the comics, spent nearly a decade trying to bring Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets to life. He famously stated that he wrote the script for The Fifth Element (1997) as a "warm-up" for Valerian , designing his earlier hit with similar hyper-stylized aesthetics. However, technology had to catch up. Besson waited until he believed CGI could render the kaleidoscopic universe of the comics faithfully without compromise. The result is a film that cost a staggering $180 million (making it the most expensive independent film ever made at the time) and features nearly 2,700 special effects shots. It represents the peak of the film’s ambition:
What sets this film apart is its breathtaking world-building. From the bustling multi-dimensional markets of Big Market to the underwater realms of Alpha, every frame is packed with intricate detail and alien biodiversity. The visual effects, handled by industry giants like Weta Digital and ILM, pushed the boundaries of what was possible in 2017. The opening sequence, set to David Bowie’s Space Oddity, is often cited as a masterpiece of visual storytelling, tracing the history of Alpha from a contemporary space station to a galactic hub. However, technology had to catch up
[City of a Thousand Planets] (D - D7 - G - G7)
When Luc Besson released Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets in 2017, it wasn't just another summer blockbuster; it was the culmination of a lifelong dream. Based on the influential French comic series Valérian and Laureline by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières—the same source material that inspired Star Wars —the film is a breathtaking, messy, and utterly unique piece of cinema. The Visual Spectacle of Alpha