Valerian
Laureline
Commander Filitt
General Okto Bar
Mülans
REALM:
Valerian and Laureline universe, 28th century space opera
CREATED BY:
Comic book series Valérian and Laureline: Pierre Christin (writer) and Jean-Claude Mézières (illustrator).
Film: Luc Besson (screenwriter, director, producer)
FORMAT:
Comics, film
SETTINGS:
Planet Mül. Alpha, space metropolis and home to species of a thousand planets.
STORY ARC:
A pair of special operatives embark on a mission to the metropolis of Alpha where a dark mystery at the center of the city threatens its peaceful existence. Instead of a life-threatening enemy, they discover the last survivors of a decimated planet and a political coverup by a highly-placed officer within the Ministry of Defense.
CHARACTERS:
Valerian, major in special human police force
Laureline, sergent in special human police force
Filitt, commander in special human police force
Okto Bar, general in special human police force
Haban-Limai, emperor of Mül
Lïhio-Minaa, princess of Mül
BIG CONCEPTS:
Dimensional jumping. The characters visit a market in another dimension by means of electronic devices.
Consciousness projection. An instant before an explosion consumes her, Princess Lïhio-Minaa sends out a telepathic signal revealing the destruction of Mül which is picked up in a dream by Valerian.
The grace in forgiveness. When faced with the man who caused their planet’s demise and the death of their daughter, the emperor and empress of Mül graciously forgive Commander Filitt and simply ask for the return of the converter and pearl they need to launch the ship which will become their new home.
Reject unethical orders. As soon as he begins to suspect that Commander Filitt’s explanation of the threat at the heart of Alpha does not add up, General Okto Bar presses ahead to dig out the truth in the sealed records about an incident in a past war. When he discovers a being from Mül who has been tortured by his commander, he releases the man and immediately apologizes for the wrongful treatment. He sends a team of trusted soldiers after the kidnapped commander and when they report findings of no radiation and unarmed beings, he does everything in his power to counter the violence set in motion by his superior.
Accept responsibility for harm. Faced with the Mülans’ painful circumstances and Commander Filitt’s hand in causing their loss, Laureline asks Valerian to return the pearl and the converter to the Mülans to help them start a new life. After he accedes, she hands them both to Emperor Haban Limai and owns the egregious harm humans have caused the peaceful people.
REMARKS:
I was quite excited to see the trailers for this visually stunning science fiction film and was not disappointed when I saw it in the theater. Fortunately, I had not read any of the insultingly sarcastic reviews beforehand which tend to irritate me. I make up my own mind about creative works and have little use for fools who get their rocks off by throwing daggers.
The special effects of this film were absolutely breathtaking, alone worth the price of admission. The opening scenes of the idyllic planet of Mül were vivid, brilliant with color, and superbly executed. The interdimensional market, followed by the approach to the space metropolis of Alpha with its myriad non-human inhabitants were feasts for the imagination. Following in the footsteps of James Cameron’s Avatar, the artists for Valerian have raised the bar for brilliant visual graphics yet again.
Although I was extremely pleased with the beautiful imagery, I had my doubts about the acting and plot through much of the film. The two main characters were youngish and more than a bit cliché, and I found myself hoping I wouldn’t have to listen to cutesy, hipster kid talk for the rest of the movie. The entire sequence containing Laureline’s capture and the pole-dancing shapeshifter were tiresome and gratuitous, not to mention completely pointless to the story. If the plot hadn’t developed into something substantial and worthy of my attention, I might have walked out of the film with a big case of letdown.
But it blossomed, thank heavens. Yes, the high-up commander of a military unit gone bad has been done before, but what I found fresh and engaging was the deft portrayal of a peaceful, highly intelligent group of people who were outside of the standard blow-things-up, killing-is-cool kind of culture which is so lauded in our current society. AND – here’s the big one – and the main characters actually apologized and took responsibility for atrocious, horrific behavior. Like Avatar, I was thrilled with a story that elevated and honored a gracious, more evolved kind of being and made it a noble thing for human characters to learn to understand and defend them against military cruelty.
Well done, Luc Besson! I applaud your beautiful contribution to imaginative science fiction that has something valuable to say.
Images: STX Entertainment
The Fall of Mül
Erin MacMichael is a visionary science fiction author and artist, creator of the T'nari Renegades series of novellas, novels, covers, and artwork. Her lifelong quest has been to explore past the boundaries of conventional thinking and figure out what really has transpired on this planet. She has traveled extensively throughout the world and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her marvelous offspring.
REALM: Valerian and Laureline universe, 28th century space opera
CREATED BY:
Comic book series Valérian and Laureline: Pierre Christin (writer) and Jean-Claude Mézières (illustrator).
Film: Luc Besson (screenwriter, director, producer)
FORMAT: Comics, film
SETTINGS: Planet Mül. Alpha, space metropolis and home to species of a thousand planets.
STORY ARC:
A pair of special operatives embark on a mission to the metropolis of Alpha where a dark mystery at the center of the city threatens its peaceful existence. Instead of a life-threatening enemy, they discover the last survivors of a decimated planet and a political coverup by a highly-placed officer within the Ministry of Defense.
Valerian
Laureline
CHARACTERS:
Valerian, major in special human police force
Laureline, sergent in special human police force
Filitt, commander in special human police force
Okto Bar, general in special human police force
Haban-Limai, emperor of Mül
Lïhio-Minaa, princess of Mül
Commander Filitt
General Okto Bar
BIG CONCEPTS:
Dimensional jumping. The characters visit a market in another dimension by means of electronic devices.
Consciousness projection. An instant before an explosion consumes her, Princess Lïhio-Minaa sends out a telepathic signal revealing the destruction of Mül which is picked up in a dream by Valerian.
The grace in forgiveness. When faced with the man who caused their planet’s demise and the death of their daughter, the emperor and empress of Mül graciously forgive Commander Filitt and simply ask for the return of the converter and pearl they need to launch the ship which will become their new home.
Reject unethical orders. As soon as he begins to suspect that Commander Filitt’s explanation of the threat at the heart of Alpha does not add up, General Okto Bar presses ahead to dig out the truth in the sealed records about an incident in a past war. When he discovers a being from Mül who has been tortured by his commander, he releases the man and immediately apologizes for the wrongful treatment. He sends a team of trusted soldiers after the kidnapped commander and when they report findings of no radiation and unarmed beings, he does everything in his power to counter the violence set in motion by his superior.
Accept responsibility for harm. Faced with the Mülans’ painful circumstances and Commander Filitt’s hand in causing their loss, Laureline asks Valerian to return the pearl and the converter to the Mülans to help them start a new life. After he accedes, she hands them both to Emperor Haban Limai and owns the egregious harm humans have caused the peaceful people.
Mülans
The Fall of Mül
REMARKS:
I was quite excited to see the trailers for this visually stunning science fiction film and was not disappointed when I saw it in the theater. Fortunately, I had not read any of the insultingly sarcastic reviews beforehand which tend to irritate me. I make up my own mind about creative works and have little use for fools who get their rocks off by throwing daggers.
The special effects of this film were absolutely breathtaking, alone worth the price of admission. The opening scenes of the idyllic planet of Mül were vivid, brilliant with color, and superbly executed. The interdimensional market, followed by the approach to the space metropolis of Alpha with its myriad non-human inhabitants were feasts for the imagination. Following in the footsteps of James Cameron’s Avatar, the artists for Valerian have raised the bar for brilliant visual graphics yet again.
Although I was extremely pleased with the beautiful imagery, I had my doubts about the acting and plot through much of the film. The two main characters were youngish and more than a bit cliché, and I found myself hoping I wouldn’t have to listen to cutesy, hipster kid talk for the rest of the movie. The entire sequence containing Laureline’s capture and the pole-dancing shapeshifter were tiresome and gratuitous, not to mention completely pointless to the story. If the plot hadn’t developed into something substantial and worthy of my attention, I might have walked out of the film with a big case of letdown.
But it blossomed, thank heavens. Yes, the high-up commander of a military unit gone bad has been done before, but what I found fresh and engaging was the deft portrayal of a peaceful, highly intelligent group of people who were outside of the standard blow-things-up, killing-is-cool kind of culture which is so lauded in our current society. AND – here’s the big one – and the main characters actually apologized and took responsibility for atrocious, horrific behavior. Like Avatar, I was thrilled with a story that elevated and honored a gracious, more evolved kind of being and made it a noble thing for human characters to learn to understand and defend them against military cruelty.
Well done, Luc Besson! I applaud your beautiful contribution to imaginative science fiction that has something valuable to say.
Images: STX Entertainment
Erin MacMichael is a visionary science fiction author and artist, creator of the T'nari Renegades series of novellas, novels, covers, and artwork. Her lifelong quest has been to explore past the boundaries of conventional thinking and figure out what really has transpired on this planet. She has traveled extensively throughout the world and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her marvelous offspring.
Erin MacMichael is a visionary science fiction author and artist, creator of the T'nari Renegades series of novellas, novels, covers, and artwork. Her lifelong quest has been to explore past the boundaries of conventional thinking and figure out what really has transpired on this planet. She has traveled extensively throughout the world and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her marvelous offspring.
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