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©-DR- Valérian et la Cité des mille planètes de Luc Besson (2017) p63

11/07/2018 20:29

Les Chroniques de Cliffhanger & Co (fin)

La mécanique adolescente de leur relation, ce jeu permanent entre l’archétype du tombeur qui tombe sous le charme de celle qui lui résiste et l’archétype de la post ado qui en a assez des beaux parleurs et veut un homme, un vrai, tourne rapidement à vide et ne masque pas la faiblesse de la caractérisation des deux héros du film. Pour autant, il est clair que dans un film qui mise tout sur l’exploration d’un univers aussi riche, l’absence d’identification à ces deux personnages n’est pas forcément très problématique, l’essentiel étant qu’ils ne soient pas exaspérants, qu’ils ne gâchent pas l’expérience.

Besson n’a jamais été un grand scénariste, ni un grand dialoguiste mais dans un tel univers cette faiblesse n’entraîne pas le film vers des abysses dont il ne peut remonter. Dane DeHaan a certes l’air de sortir d’une très longue dépression et son interprétation est en deçà de ce qu’on attendrait dans ce rôle en terme d’énergie et de charisme, mais il est suffisamment bon acteur pour s’en sortir sans déshonneur et donner l’impression que Cara Delevingne est une bonne actrice, ce qui est un exploit.

Si le récit propose un bon équilibre entre l’exploration (toutefois plus présente dans sa première partie) et l’action (qui a la grande qualité d’être toujours très lisible), qu’il ne donne pas le sentiment présent dans d’autres blockbusters de traverser de longs tunnels entre chaque morceaux de bravoure, il souffre néanmoins réellement de ne pas avoir pu rester sous la barre des 2 heures. Si l’on sent que Luc Besson s’éclate de bout en bout à évoluer dans cet univers, il en vient à étirer à l’excès une intrigue décorative qui ne réserve guère de surprise et dans laquelle Valérian et Laureline finissent par ne plus vraiment faire illusion.

Si Valérian et la Cité des Mille Planètes a des défauts réels qui lui ont valu de se faire assez unanimement assassiner par la presse US, il a pour lui d’avoir un cœur et une sincérité qui font cruellement défaut à tant de films pour lesquels la même presse a une folle indulgence. Luc Besson n’est ni George Lucas, ni James Cameron mais il n’est pas non plus Roger Christian (Battlefield Earth) ou l’un des réalisateurs interchangeables auxquels les studios US confient les commandes de leurs blockbusters. A défaut de sortir plus intelligent de son seizième film, on en sort diverti et en emportant avec nous un peu des rêves de ce gamin qui refuse de grandir.

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©-DR- Valérian et la Cité des mille planètes de Luc Besson (2017) p67

11/07/2018 21:38

Trivia

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There are two hundred different alien species in the movie. Luc Besson wrote a six hundred-page book describing in detail all the species. The actors had to read that book prior to filming so they could adjust their acting, depending on the species they were interacting with.

The Welcoming Captains were directors and/or writers that director Luc Besson has worked with.

The first two trailers use the song "Because" by The Beatles. It was the first time a film director obtained the rights to use a Beatles song in a movie advertisement. Permission was granted by Paul McCartney.

With a final production budget of EUR197.47 million, around $210 million in United States currency, the film was officially the most expensive ever made in France, significantly exceeding the budget of the previous record holder, Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008), which cost EUR102 million ($113 million). Twenty years earlier, director Luc Besson made Le cinquième élément (1997), which was the most expensive French movie at the time, with a budget of EUR90 million ($100 million).

There are 2,734 special effects shots in this movie, compared to only 188 in Le cinquième élément (1997).

Director Luc Besson waived his own salary in order to get the film made, which was a life-long passion project of his.

When Valerian is in Big Market and a wanted notice is released, the bounty hunter that follows Valerian is at a bar named "Korben's." Korben Dallas is the name of the character Bruce Willis played in director Luc Besson's Le cinquième élément (1997).

After suffering a record loss of $135 million in the previous year, EuropaCorp had set its hopes on Valerian to turn in a much-needed profit. However, after the commercial failure of the film and a subsequent drop in company stocks of over 40%, deputy CEO Edouard de Vesinne was forced to step down from his position.

The film is based on the French science fiction comics series Valérian and Laureline, written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières.

Director Luc Besson chose not to shoot the movie in 3-D since 3-D cameras are too heavy for his style of filming, like running behind an actor or unusual angles of filming.

During the "Welcoming" scenes at the beginning of the movie, one alien race being greeted has a design similar to (but not identical to) the Mondoshawans from Le cinquième élément (1997), which was also directed by Luc Besson.

The futuristic New York City in director Luc Besson's previous film, Le cinquième élément (1997), was visually inspired by "The Circles of Power," the fifteenth volume in the "Valérian and Laureline" comic series.

Director Luc Besson deliberately chose to shoot the film, which is an adaptation of a French comic, in English with English-speaking actors in order to raise its chances of a wider audience.

At one point, Igon Siruss tells Valerian, "I will find you, and I will kill you," to which Valerian whispers, "Good luck." This is nearly identical to the iconic exchange from Taken (2008), which was also written by Luc Besson.

The film was released in 2017, the year of the "Valerian" comic's fiftieth anniversary.

The ship's computer, "Alex," reports on Alpha One details over the four hundred years since leaving Earth's orbit, in which it has traveled over 700 million miles. This puts it just past Jupiter at a speed of 200mph.

The main storyline is loosely based on "Ambassador of the Shadows," the sixth album in the comic book series. This was also the first Valerian story to be translated in English.

The opening scene begins in 1975. This is the year "Ambassador of the Shadows" (on which the film is loosely based) was first published in French.

Rutger Hauer received top billing (credited as "and Rutger Hauer" in the opening credits), despite having less than one minute of screen time. Director Luc Besson asked him to be in the film as an homage to Blade Runner (1982) and its director, Ridley Scott, who is a friend of Besson.

Director Luc Besson first premiered some footage of the film at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con. The footage received a standing ovation from the crowd in Hall H.

The Pearls of Mül were an unidentified alien humanoid species in the original comic story "Ambassador of Shadows." Unlike the creatures in the movie, their skin color was red and black in the comic.

The Mül Converter creature in the movie functions the same way in the "Ambassador of Shadows" comic story, but it has no connection to the aliens Pearls of Mül. Laureline is given the creature so she and Valerian would be able to help the Earth representative with the negotiations, by producing the differing currencies used by the aliens.

The film opens with footage of the 1975 joint U.S./Soviet mission Apollo Soyuz Test Project. The mission ran from July 15, 1975 through July 24, 1975, forty-two years to the week of the opening of this film.

Laureline is the main narrator, as well as the character the story follows in "Ambassador of Shadows." She is the one who pilots the submarine to nab the mind-reading jellyfish, and she is the one who uses a shape-shifting alien to disguise herself to infiltrate the alien den. Valerian only shows up at the start and the end of the "Ambassador of Shadows" story, having been kidnapped along with the VIP.

Before the Big Market mission, Laureline tells the commanding operative, "Nice hat," which is a subtle nod to Le cinquième élément (1997), also directed by Luc Besson, when the character Corbin Dallas tells a would-be mugger the same thing.

Although most spaceships in most science fiction movies never display their make, the skyjet (pod) used by Valerian clearly showed the Lexus emblem on its front grill during the chase of the Pearls pod scene.

Although director Luc Besson stated (in the Special Features of the the film's Blu-ray) that the "Big Market" sequence was written into (or added) to the "Ambassador of Shadows" story, the market can be considered taken from the "Empire of a Thousand Planets" story (where the movie's title is modified from). In the "Empire of a Thousand Planets" story, Laureline purchases an old Earth pocket watch, which sets in motion the rest of the strip's story.

Early in the Big Market mission, Laureline waves at the Kyrian alien guard in the tower with a Vulcan salute (from Star Trek) before shooting and stunning him.

The movie featured "Alpha Station," the City of a Thousand Planets, but the station was called "Point Central" in the "Ambassador of Shadows" comic. Point Central was first created by non-human alien races (it did not start off as the ISS) and was added to, slowly over time. Additionally, the Federation in the movie was the point being negotiated in the comic story; Earth is governed by something called "the Galaxity" instead of an actual Federation of races.

Cara Delevingne worked out for several months to get in shape for her role as Laureline.

The word "mul" means "water" in Korean, and the Pearls of Mül are a semi-aquatic species.

Cara Delevingne announced on social media that filming began on January 4, 2016.

In the comics, Laureline had red hair. In the film, she is blonde.

Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne also co-starred in Tulip Fever (2017).

In the middle of the big space battle, a fighter painted silver and yellow flies by the camera. The fighters Anakin Skywalker uses in Star Wars: Épisode I - La menace fantôme (1999) and Star Wars: Épisode III - La revanche des Sith (2005) are painted silver and yellow. The battle draws inspiration from the big space battle in Revenge of the Sith.

After production was completed, Cara Delevingne auditioned for and became a frontrunner for the lead role in the "Lara Croft" film Tomb Raider (2018), but she lost out to Alicia Vikander.

At 1:46:08 Emperor Haban-Limai refers to 6 million lost in battle. This is also the quantity of Jewish victims of the Holocaust under Nazi rule in WWII.

The song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio was prominently used in the marketing campaign for this film. An orchestral version of the song can be heard in the trailer.

When Laureline is fixing Valerian's arm, the tool she uses is a "Guppie" multi tool from Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT).

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CINEMA :Les blessures narcissiques d'une vie par procuration

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©-DR- Valérian et la Cité des mille planètes de Luc Besson (2017) p67