Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Play trailer

1:44

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

PG-13

2017

2h 17m

Sci-Fi

Adventure

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

297 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In the 28th century, special operatives Valerian and Laureline work together to maintain order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the minister of defense, the duo embarks on a mission to Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis where diverse species gather to share knowledge and culture. When a dark force threatens the peaceful city, Valerian and Laureline must race against time to identify the menace that also jeopardizes the future of the universe.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets uses sheer kinetic energy and visual thrills to overcome narrative obstacles and offer a viewing experience whose surreal pleasures sometimes outweigh its flaws.

Read Critics Reviews

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Sep 22, 2017

2.5/4

Thing is, every time I had to focus on the two main characters, the noticeable holes in all of this started to grow bigger and become more bothersome.

Go to Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

Aug 16, 2017

3.5/5

It's an enjoyable mess. Like all modern fantasy based on computer-generated technique, it confuses movement and action.

Go to Full Review

Stephen Romei

The Australian

Aug 11, 2017

3.5/5

Besson loves messing around with time and space.

Go to Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Aug 21, 2022

1.5/5

...a nearly 140 minutes slog through poor storytelling, boring characters, laughably bad dialogue, and CGI overload.

Go to Full Review

Fletcher Powell

KMUW - Wichita Public Radio

Jun 21, 2022

If you’d asked me ... if it would matter that I’d spend a good three-quarters of a movie having no idea what was going on, I would have said: Yes. Yes, that would matter. But that was before I’d seen Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 23, 2022

2.5/4

The outcome here is uneven: admirable for its ambition and mindless entertainment value, unable to hold up under close scrutiny, and often dazzlingly beautiful.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Gregory

Nov 7, 2021

Beautiful special effects.

See more

Mark A

@amosmoses72 23 hrs ago

Glorious adventure in science fiction. Visually arresting.

See more

Pras A

@RT87604293 Oct 13, 2026

First review - never felt the need to add to the community here but this movie, omg. Sure, if you're only about visuals, go for it. I think there are better movies out there for visuals, but hey, if that's all a movie has going for it and you're happy with that—great! But seriously, the dialogue and characters? The two main characters were so god-awful they gave a new meaning to the word slop. It felt like a desperate attempt to "relate to the younger generation" that made me cringe. I would rather gargle sour milk for three hours than watch this utter garbage again. I mean, this is the same guy who directed the Fifth Element? Really? Did he hire his teenage nephew to write the dialogue?! I had an involuntary physical response somewhere between hiccups and vomit—it felt like my fish ancestors rejecting this awful garbage with every last cellular memory of billions of years of evolution.

See more

John C

@cyclone259 Oct 6, 2026

Stylistically impressive, but very thin on the acting and exceedingly slow pacing. I wanted to like this movie and looked forward to it, but it was so boring. It was conceptually interesting, but poorly executed. I just couldn’t get invested in the characters and their tissue-thin, wooden personas. Too bad too. I don’t think the actors were the issue here inasmuch as it was a classic case of ‘style over substance’.

See more

Jordan P

@JordanHPost Sep 7, 2026

Insane no one has complained about how much of a twerp tool Dane Dehaan is in this film. Why tf would anyone make this beta soy boy a protagonist? His fake deep voice was so fking annoying. On top of him thinking he was all that. He straight up ruined the film. Its an absolute beautiful film, but my god, one person has so much power to foilall that hard work.

See more

Robert P

@Superbad Sep 6, 2026

Valerian = A *2 and 1/2* star movie!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Luc Besson

Director

Dane DeHaan

Major Valerian

Cara Delevingne

Sergeant Laureline

Clive Owen

Commander Arun Filitt

Rihanna

Bubble

Ethan Hawke

Jolly the Pimp

War for the Planet of the Apes

94%

84%

War for the Planet of the Apes

Watchlist

TRAILER

for War for the Planet of the Apes

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2

70%

66%

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2

The Divergent Series: Allegiant

11%

41%

The Divergent Series: Allegiant

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Divergent Series: Allegiant

Ghost in the Shell

42%

51%

Ghost in the Shell

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Ghost in the Shell

Independence Day: Resurgence

29%

30%

Independence Day: Resurgence

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Independence Day: Resurgence

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

30 Great Scenes in Rotten Movies

New On DVD in November: Westworld, Atomic Blonde, Logan Lucky and More

Box Office: Dark Tower #1 as Summer Slowdown Comes Early

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: Behind the Scenes - Big Market

1:02

Now Playing

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: Behind the Scenes - Creating the Shell City

1:17

Now Playing

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: Behind the Scenes - Rihanna as Bubble

1:21

Now Playing

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: Behind the Scenes - Designing Alpha

1:14

Now Playing

That Moment When You Realize You're in a Luc Besson Movie: Exclusive Interview

1:50

Now Playing

Luc Besson on Casting Rihanna: Exclusive Interview

1:06

Now Playing

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: TV Spot - Attack

0:30

Now Playing

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: TV Spot - Imagine

0:30

Now Playing

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: Trailer 1

1:44

Now Playing

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: Teaser Trailer 2

2:30

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In the 28th century, special operatives Valerian and Laureline work together to maintain order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the minister of defense, the duo embarks on a mission to Alpha, an ever-expanding metropolis where diverse species gather to share knowledge and culture. When a dark force threatens the peaceful city, Valerian and Laureline must race against time to identify the menace that also jeopardizes the future of the universe.

Director: Luc Besson
Producer: Virginie Silla
Distributor: STX Entertainment
Production Co: EuropaCorp, Fundamental Films, STX Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Sci-Fi Violence and Action|Brief Language|Suggestive Material)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 21, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $40.4M
Runtime: 2h 17m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings