Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

[Rodney-2187]

I think it looks like something a lot of people will go see and thoroughly enjoy.

[dvdmike]

I will

[Rodney-2187]

When certain people hate on something, it only makes me more sure I will love it, since they have hated everything else I've really liked.

[levcore]

who's hating on this? I'm not, i'm looking forward to it. However I expect it to be a big flop just like Jupiter Ascending.

[Rodney-2187]

Valerian headed to Hall H at Comicon.

http://panarmenian.net/m/eng/news/216283

Less than 2-weeks ago, the director shared this via twitter:
Editing finished!!!! 2hours 12 min 47 sec Now time for VFX. 2734 shots and 300 days to go!!!

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by levcore

who's hating on this? I'm not, i'm looking forward to it. However I expect it to be a big flop just like Jupiter Ascending.

This is Luc Besson we are talking about though - not the Watchowskis. When Besson goes big, he goes big. The original comic is crazy epic. This wont make Marvel $$$ but will probably make more than what it costs.

This wont be another John Carter because who the hell is the director of John Carter? A cartoon movie director? This is Luc Besson we are talking about - a game changer.

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

This is Luc Besson we are talking about though - not the Watchowskis. When Besson goes big, he goes big. The original comic is crazy epic. This wont make Marvel $$$ but will probably make more than what it costs.

This wont be another John Carter because who the hell is the director of John Carter? A cartoon movie director? This is Luc Besson we are talking about - a game changer.

The concern--at least in the states--isn't the director, it's the material. Nobody's going to ask "who's Luc Besson?" They're going to ask "what's Valerian?" Just like they asked "what's John Carter?"

And I say this as someone who wants to see this movie very badly.

[Chaotic]

If Spielberg can't get people in theaters, how is Luc Besson going to? I'm sure most people don't know who he is.

[toddly6666]

The point is that Besson is a visionary director and makes his movies visually interesting enough - designs of characters and surroundings - that people go see his movies. Besson has been involved with directing/producing 6+ movie franchises that either were sequels or remakes, as well as making films which spawned copycats of his films.

USA isnt the only country in the world that determines the financial success of a film.

It's going to be a fantastical epic sci-fi film. Just like fantasy movies, they dont make tons of money - just modest money. So if this movie costs $160, and makes $400 million, you all will probably call it a flop because it doesnt star Iron Man.

The difference between Stanton and Besson is huge. It doesnt matter if Stanton tries to make a colorful epic fantasy film because the damn characters are walking pieces of wood. Same goes for something like Tomorrowland. Besson makes his characters fun and crazy and full of character. That's the difference. These Disney directors can spend all the money they want on special effects but at the end of the day, it wont compare to something Besson does because his characters are the special effect themselves.

Besson is an old school director that gives us the whole package:
1. visually creative
2. Interesting off-the-wall characters (which is very French)
3. cool action scenes
4. simple non-convoluted storytelling

Valerian already has an awesome cast who are capable of being intriguing bizarre characters. Besson cast the albino dude from Snow White and The Huntsman even!

[brooks101189]

Originally Posted by Chaotic

If Spielberg can't get people in theaters, how is Luc Besson going to? I'm sure most people don't know who he is.

Just say from the creator of Taken and The Fifth Element.

That might bring some.

[levcore]

Originally Posted by brooks101189

Just say from the creator of Taken and The Fifth Element.

That might bring some.

From the creator of a franchise you're all thoroughly bored of and a 20 year old science fiction movie! I'm not so sure that would be a guarantee.

[tenia]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

It doesnt matter if Stanton tries to make a colorful epic fantasy film because the damn characters are walking pieces of wood. Same goes for something like Tomorrowland. Besson makes his characters fun and crazy and full of character.

I prefered Tomorrowland to most of Besson movies. And I speak as someone who love Leon and like The Fifth Element for a long time.

Besson has visual flair for sure, but his screenwriting is awfully superficial and clichés-ridden. Subway, Nikita, The Fifth Element, The Lady, Angel-A, Adele Blanc Sec, The Minimoys, Malavita, Lucy are all pretty dumb script-wise.
The things he has written for others dont fare much better : the Taken and Taxi movies, From Paris with love, Banlieue 13 and its sequel, Colombiana, and so on... Danny The Dog might be slightly above but that dont say much.

Besson always say critics dont like him because of his own persona.
It's at least partially wrong : they dont like him because he cant write stuff properly.

So yeah, hopefully, Besson will go Bay with this and simply embrace his inability to write something deep and go big and efficently dumb. But I highly doubt it since he almost never did it before.

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by levcore

From the creator of a franchise you're all thoroughly bored of and a 20 year old science fiction movie! I'm not so sure that would be a guarantee.

Why did you buy steelbooks of them then?

[toddly6666]

Tenia,
I said he writes simple screenplays. His strengths are highlighted with his characters, visuals and action. I dont know what everyone is expecting with storytelling - another Matrix and Inception? His movies have clear simple to follow storylines - that's not a weakness or a reason to discredit his films. So the hell what? Making a movie unique is what's important and that's what he does. Tomorrowland or John Carter are not unique. They are just manufactured products. Saying Tomorrowland is better than Leon is just crazy talk anyway.

I certainly wouldnt say the script to La Femme Nikita is dumb - it has a good story and started a wave of copycats with that type of story.

[levcore]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

Why did you buy steelbooks of them then?

Because I really like them duh!

[tenia]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Tenia,
I said he writes simple screenplays. His strengths are highlighted with his characters, visuals and action. I dont know what everyone is expecting with storytelling - another Matrix and Inception? His movies have clear simple to follow storylines - that's not a weakness or a reason to discredit his films. So the hell what?

I certainly wouldnt say the script to La Femme Nikita is dumb - it has a good story and started a wave of copycats with that type of story.

The issue isn't "simple" screenplays, but simplistic ones. This is where the nuance is.

I'm not expecting movies to blow me away each time. I don't expect complicated story telling every time I'm watching a movie.

Simple movies can be fun and entertaining (which Inception actually isn't, spending too much of its time taking the viewer by the hand, too afraid he might be lost by the seemingly mind-blending movie he's watching - something that Satoshi Kon's Paprika didn't do, and thus was much more efficient).

I'm just expecting characters to be deeper and more nuanced than in most Besson's movies. I'm also, at some point, am tired by the same underlying themes and visuals being recycled again and again and again. There was a joke a few years ago about how his screenplays (notably for the movies he produces in opposition to the ones he directs) might very well be created through a randomizer machine with the core elements "prostitutes, Audi cars, and a muscular black guy getting beaten".

[Show spoiler]

Youtube

There are many simple movies that are efficient, fun, entertaining, but also well written.

I just don't think that a lot of movies written by Besson are well written, and that this has always been a big flaw in most of his movies. They might be slick (true enough), but that doesn't suffice to make them good (far from it, in some cases).

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Saying Tomorrowland is better than Leon is just crazy talk anyway.

I seem to have miswrote that : I didn't mean to say Tomorrowland is better than Leon, just that I don't think every single Besson movie made is trash.

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Making a movie unique is what's important and that's what he does. Tomorrowland or John Carter are not unique. They are just manufactured products.

I disagree. I prefer a good manufactured product than a bad original one. Some stories have been turned into movies hundreds of times, and yet, they can still produce very good movies. Others only gave birth to ONE single movie and god it's enough please no more.

[TommySyk]

I'm sure that "From the creator of LUCY" would be a better marketing point. That film did crazy business overseas for a film in its genre, even here in Portugal it managed to score one of the highest openings of 2014, and it took a surprisingly long time to burn out.

[Moonlight Shadow]

The last good Besson movie was "Leon" and that was a very long time ago. He's the epitome of "all style, no substance".
"John Carter" was MUCH better than anything Besson has done since "Leon", at least it had a decent story.
That said "Valerian" is a fitting project for him. I enjoyed the comics when I was 10 years old but when I recently tried to read the volume again that the movie is based upon I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The story is childish and boring but the artwork LOOKS great. Just like a Luc Besson movie.

[brooks101189]

Originally Posted by TommySyk

I'm sure that "From the creator of LUCY" would be a better marketing point. That film did crazy business overseas for a film in its genre, even here in Portugal it managed to score one of the highest openings of 2014, and it took a surprisingly long time to burn out.

Shit, I forgot all about Lucy. Yeah, that would make a great marketing move

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by TommySyk

I'm sure that "From the creator of LUCY" would be a better marketing point. That film did crazy business overseas for a film in its genre, even here in Portugal it managed to score one of the highest openings of 2014, and it took a surprisingly long time to burn out.

Agreed. I really enjoyed Lucy as well.