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Based on the comic book series, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is the new adventure film from Luc Besson, director of killer sci-fi flicks The Fifth Element and Lucy.

Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are space soldiers charged with maintaining order throughout the universe. The pair embark on a mission to Alpha, i.e. the city of a thousand planets, which they must save by identifying the cause of a dark force that threatens to destroy the entire planet and eliminating the threat.

I was super excited about seeing Valerian after watching the action-packed trailer full of amazing CGI and featuring some familiar faces (see it for yourself below). Valerian certainly delivered and I wasn’t disappointed. 

It is visually stunning and is absolutely made to be seen on the big screen. I saw it in 3D and I was amazed at the aesthetic appeal of the worlds and creatures that Besson has created. It really is so so pretty - the film cost over $200 million and has more than 2,355 visual effects shots, 600 or so more even than Star Wars Rogue One. It had action aplenty, suspense and a great cast - John Goodman's supporting voice-over role in the film while modest was particularly fun. DeHaan's deadpan delivery as the galaxy's 'it boy' Valerian gels nicely with the hot-headed Laureline.

While the movie was long – 2 hrs 17 mins - it didn’t feel like it dragged at all because there was so much going on and it was still really nice to look at (have I mentioned how pretty it is?!). Sure,Valerian has a couple of plot holes bigger than Delevingne’s eyebrows but that takes little away from just what a fun flick it is. It's silly, lighthearted, entertaining, spectacularly beautiful and it doesn't take itself too seriously which is refreshing. Make sure you hit it up in 3D too!

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is out in cinemas nationwide on Thursday 10th August.

Enter our competition to win one of 25 double passes to see Valerian thanks to eOne Entertainment!