I’m not above savoring eye candy now and then. In fact, you can’t see this, but from where I’m sitting, it’s gray and drab and cloudy outside, and I woke up this morning thinking I could use a bit of the bright sparklies to lighten my mood. So please believe me when I say that I think this final Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets trailer is exactly the kind of eye candy that I desperately needed today. (Yeah, I know it’s only like, 8:30 AM here on the west coast, but still. It’s dark times, y’know.)
Like I referenced the last time I wrote about Valerian, the visuals that are dressed around this movie are nothing short of striking. But for many who may not be familiar with the graphic novels from which this movie was made (hi, it me), then it’s totally understandable that you might not feel too thrilled with what’s going on once the eye candy burns out your retinas. This is just to say that yeah, I know, this trailer’s a bit thin when it comes to plot revelations.
So here’s a neat little plot summary just for you:
“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.”
Also like I said last time, the plot feels very… well, Mass Effect-ish, which likely explains why I’m pretty okay with what’s going on. And, as many of you were so quick to point out when I made that observation last time, Valerian pre-dates Mass Effect (which I knew, but hey, this is the internet), so really, Mass Effect is more Valerian-ish. But still, the aesthetics of BioWare’s space saga have clearly had a bit of an impact on the visuals as presented in this film: Valerian and Laureline’s space suits are really only just an N7 insignia away from being right at home on the Citadel (itself a city of a thousand planets, just saying).
You can expect to check out more of Valerian once it hits theaters on July 21st.
(via Birth.Movies.Death.)
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