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The Spectacular Imbalance: Style, Substance, and the Uncanny Valley in Valerian

Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) is a cinematic paradox: a film of breathtaking imagination and frustrating execution. Based on the French comic series Valérian and Laureline by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières—a work that directly inspired Star Wars—the film arrived with a legacy of influential source material and a $180 million budget. While it delivers an unparalleled sensory feast of world-building and visual effects, it ultimately stumbles over its lead characters and dialogue. This essay argues that Valerian is best understood as a landmark of production design and conceptual art, yet a cautionary tale about the irreplaceable need for emotional authenticity and charismatic casting in science fiction.

He was half-right. The narrative is a mess, the romance is flat, and the pacing sags in the middle. But the world—Alpha, the Big Market, the Pearls, the converter—is as rich and immersive as anything in modern cinema. Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets - E...

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This backstory ties into the film’s deeper meta-narrative. Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières’ original comic, upon which the film is based, began in 1967. It is widely acknowledged that Star Wars borrowed heavily from the aesthetic of Valérian and Laureline. When Valerian the movie was released, critics called it a Star Wars rip-off, ignoring the irony that the progenitor was being accused of imitating the imitator. The film’s design—specifically the design of the Pearls and the spaceship—is a reclaiming of a sci-fi visual language that originated in French bande dessinée. The Spectacular Imbalance: Style, Substance, and the Uncanny

2. Ending Explained (Spoilers)

The film ends with Valerian and Laureline defying orders. They return the stolen converter to the Pearls, which regenerates their home planet’s core. Instead of punishing them, the Federation Commander thanks them, and the two agents request to be stationed on Alpha permanently. The final shot is the two of them walking into the depths of the city, ready for new adventures—a perfect setup for a sequel that will likely never happen. Main Synthesizer: A bright and pulsing synthesizer, used

While the chemistry between the leads was a point of contention for critics, their dynamic captures the "bickering professional" energy of the original comics. Valerian is the arrogant, rule-following ace pilot, while Laureline is the grounded, highly capable heart of the operation. Their mission to retrieve a "converter"—the last of its kind from a destroyed civilization—unravels a massive intergalactic conspiracy. Why It Became a Cult Classic

Composition: The piece is divided into three main sections, each representing a different aspect of the film:

• Main Synthesizer: A bright and pulsing synthesizer, used to create the main melody and theme.
• Ambient Pads: A combination of eerie and lush ambient pads, used to create a sense of atmosphere and depth.
• Drums: A standard electronic drum kit, used to create a driving beat and add energy to the track.