valerian and the city of a thousand planets ( french : valérian et la cité des mille planètes ) is a 2017 english-language french 3d science fiction action-adventure epic film , written and directed by luc besson , and co-produced by besson and his wife , virginie besson-silla .

the film is based on the french science fiction comics series valérian and laureline , written by pierre christin and illustrated by jean-claude mézières .

it stars dane dehaan as valerian and cara delevingne as laureline , with clive owen , rihanna , ethan hawke , herbie hancock , kris wu , and rutger hauer in supporting roles .

besson independently crowd-sourced and personally funded valerian and , with a production budget between $ 177 – 210 million , it is both the most expensive european and independent film ever made .

the film was released by stx entertainment on 21 july 2017 in the united states , and in france on 26 july , by europacorp .

valerian received mixed reviews from critics , who criticized the writing and plot , but praised the visuals , and has grossed $ 88 million worldwide .

watch the trailer for
valerian and the city of a thousand planets .
sucker punch , jupiter ascending and valerian and the city of a thousand planets . composite : rex / allstar
’s goofy sci - fi valerian and the city of a thousand planets . it might look a bit like his film
1 . it would have positioned valerian and the city of a thousand planets as the last big movie of the summer .
valerian ( dane dehaan ) and laureline ( cara delevingne ) in valerian and the city of a thousand planets . all images : stx
i ask him if he’s seen the clips for valerian and the city of a thousand planets that we’re about to watch .
valerian review : a thousand planets but a frustrating plot | birth . movies . death .
the federation : the united human federation which runs alpha , a . k . a . the city of a thousand planets .
if two minutes of
valerian and the city of a thousand planets
leaves you borderline speechless , imagine what the whole movie will do .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing valerian and the city of a thousand planets near you .
no movie this summer will leave your jaw on the floor and your eyeballs as wide as saucers like luc besson’s valerian and the city of a thousand planets .
my first tweet ever ! let’s share a real news ! my next film is a big sci - fi : # valerian and the city of a thousand planets .
chinese authorities have given an aug . 25 release date to luc besson ’s sci - fi epic “ valerian and the city of a thousand planets . ”
the first teaser for valerian and the city of a thousand planets is expected to be released nov . 10 , with another teaser in january and then a full trailer in march .
after its ill - fated release in north america and most foreign territories , “ valerian and the city of a thousand planets ” looked to china as its final hope .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets is playing everywhere . try convincing your most literal - minded friend to see it with you . it’ll make for a good story .
while the special effects are sure to help make valerian and the city of a thousand planets as visually rich as the fifth element , the heart of the film’s story is its two main characters : valerian and laureline .
here’s a wide shot of alpha , the titular city of a thousand planets . most of the movie takes place here and its construction is detailed in a breaktaking opening sequence that spans centuries of space exploration .
the first five minutes of valerian and the city of a thousand planets , iconoclast luc besson’s latest magnum opus , emotionally overwhelmed me in a way i wasn’t expecting , in a way i dare not say a word more about .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets is set for release on july 21st , 2017 and features a cast that also includes clive owen , rihanna , ethan hawke , john goodman , herbie hancock and kris wu .
luc besson’s valerian and the city of a thousand planets started strong at the french box office , topping 1 . 3 million admissions on 970 screens over the opening weekend in the director ' s native country .
if you think that’s cool , a new website just launched that’s even better . it’s the world of valerian , “an in - depth 360 - degree look at the visual development of valerian and the city of a thousand planets from legendary directory luc besson . ”
luc besson is a grandmaster of cinematic kitsch , a director who can make us gasp in wonderment one moment and groan in dismay the next . valerian and the city of a thousand planets ( based on a french comic strip ) is a crash course in the best and worst of besson .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets is the visually spectacular new adventure film from luc besson , the legendary director of the professional , the fifth element and lucy , based on the ground - breaking comic book series which inspired a generation of artists , writers and filmmakers .
these men represent everything that director luc besson did not want in “ valerian and the city of a thousand planets , ” his big - budget sci - fi phantasmagoria , which opens in theaters this weekend .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets features about 60 major aliens ( all told there are hundreds , besson said ) . each of those aliens has their own backstory and history , all put together in a 15 - page dossier .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets , the latest sci - fi epic from luc besson , had far more humble beginnings than the silver screen . it started out as a series of french comics called valérian and laureline that launched in 1967 and wrapped in 2010 .
a dark force threatens alpha , a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets . special operatives valerian and laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just alpha , but the future of the universe .
it’s easy to see why valerian and the city of a thousand planets is bombing hard . for starters , it’s called valerian and the city of a thousand planets , a name that means nothing to american audiences . like other high - profile , auteurist , director - driven science fiction flops such as sucker punch , chappie , sky captain and the world of tomorrow and jupiter ascending , valerian is audacious , original and ambitious to a fault . like those oddball flops , it’s clearly the work of an auteur willing to pursue his creative vision even if makes him seem ridiculous and laughable .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets is not to be confused with the czech cult film valerie and her week of wonders , though a week of wonders is what it feels like writer / director luc besson delivers here . which is to say , it’s a visual marvel , but a long sit .
director luc besson is a world - builder , and that’s never been more evident than his upcoming comic adaptation valerian and the city of a thousand planets . his heroes traverse the galaxy , encountering fantastic places and things , before landing on the biggest cultural melting pot in history : alpha .
with a week left of shooting on valerian and the city of a thousand planets , luc besson roams around the vast cite du cinema studio with a dazed look , appearing even more unkempt and bedraggled than usual . as he describes it , “i’m like a runner in the last 15 meters of a marathon . exhausted . deeply . physically . ”
all we needed was some 70s - style art - porn erotica and it could be walerian borowczyk and the city of a thousand planets . the movie keeps striving for a kind of artless modernity , and yet it keeps looking like something from 10 or 20 years ago .
the story for valerian and the city of a thousand planets is based upon the valerian and laureline comics by pierre christin and jean - claud mezleres taking a serialized approach to its story structure . major valerian ( dane dehaan ) and sergeant laureline ( cara delevigne ) are highly decorated special operatives in the 28th century who are on a top - secret mission to recover stolen government property . they need to return the property to alpha , the city of a thousand planets , into the hands of commander arun filitt ( clive owen ) . once they arrive at alpha , the mystery deepens as a rogue group of aliens attack kidnapping commander filitt . valerian and laureline pursue the group into the red zone where their actions threaten to destroy alpha and all those who live in the city .
the return of western movies to chinese cinemas after a month of absence was an anticlimax . the top ten films earned a combined $ 76 . 7 million , making it only the 20th best weekend of the year to date . “valerian and the city of a thousand planets” became the film to finally depose “wolf warriors ii” after [ … ]
to date , the cast for valerian and the city of a thousand planets includes dane dehaan , cara delavingne , ethan hawke , clive owen , and rihanna . hancock is repped by paradigm , redlight management and melinda murphy . europacorp’s red distribution label is releasing valerian on july 21 , 2017 . besson’s instagram is below .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets is the visually spectacular new adventure film from luc besson , the legendary director of the professional , the fifth element and lucy , based on the ground - breaking comic book series which inspired a generation of artists , writers and filmmakers . 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 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 .
chinese authorities have given an aug . 25 release date to luc besson’s sci - fi epic “valerian and the city of a thousand planets . ” europacorp’s “valerian” will be one of the first imported films allowed into china following the usual summer blackout period . a rep for the company confirmed the date to variety . an official announcement is [ … ]
luc besson has taken to instagram to announce that he’s wrapped filming on valerian and the city of a thousand planets , the upcoming big screen adaptation of pierre christin and jean - claude mézières french comic series , which stars dane dehaan ( the amazing spider - man 2 ) and cara delevingne ( suicide squad ) .
but let ' s not get ahead of ourselves , here ; for now let ' s all get really excited about
valerian and the city of a thousand planets .
( between this and
guardians of the galaxy vol . 2 ,
summer 2017 is going to be full of really crazy space operas . )
justin chang reviews ' valerian and the city of a thousand planets ' directed by luc besson , starring dane dehaan , cara delevingne , clive owen , rihanna , ethan hawke , herbie hancock , kris wu , rutger hauer , and john goodman . video by jason h . neubert .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets ( valérian et la cité des mille planètes ) , shortened to valerian , is a 2017 american / french space opera film produced , written and directed by luc besson ( of the fifth element fame ) . it is based on the french science fiction comic book series valerian , and stars dane dehaan as valerian , cara delevingne as laureline , clive owen as commander arün filitt , and rihanna as bubble .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets ’ lack of dramatic interest amidst its visual splendor might have been less frustrating a decade or so ago . but the bar has been raised in recent years by the many special - effects blockbusters that have offered solid human grounding amidst the spectacle ; the best comparison would be the guardians of the galaxy duo , which indulge in plenty of nuttiness while keeping us involved with its core protagonists . the city of a thousand planets has had plenty of attention lavished upon it , and it would have helped if besson had taken as much care with the hero who shares the titular billing .
it’s rare that a modern scifi movie shows you something you’ve truly never seen before , but that happens a lot in luc besson’s valerian and the city of a thousand planets . there’s innovative action , wondrous landscapes , creepy aliens , awesome weapons and technology , all of which combine to create a massive , magnificent universe . unfortunately , all the focus on the setting causes valerian ’s story to suffer .
ew can exclusively reveal that luc besson’s riotous 23rd - century caper will mark its 20th anniversary next month with a two - day theatrical re - release . presented by fathom events and sony pictures , the screenings will showcase a 4k restoration of the fifth element and an exclusive preview of besson’s new space opera valerian and the city of a thousand planets , which opens in july .
after its ill - fated release in north america and most foreign territories , “valerian and the city of a thousand planets” looked to china as its final hope . now , the middle kingdom’s summer blackout period has come to an end , and europacorp’s “valerian” has ended the weekend on top . luc besson’s $ 180 million sci - fi epic — considered [ … ]
so if you ' re familiar with the tastes of todd mccarthy and typically agree with him , valerian and the city of a thousand planets may not be your cup of tea . that being said , there are still plenty of other professional voices who are singing praise for the blockbuster ' s ambition and spirit , and your own personal tastes may line up more with theirs ' .
after taking to instagram last weekend to announce that ethan hawke was joining the cast of the sci - fi epic valerian and the city of a thousand planets , director luc besson has posted an item that multi - grammy winning jazz musician herbie hancock will have a role in the feature adaptation of the french 1967 graphic novel series by pierre christin and jean - claude mézières .
it’s a cynical world in which we live , even within our fantasies , and that’s a big part of the reason why luc besson’s ambitious sci - fi spectacular valerian and the city of a thousand planets plays like a welcome reprieve from literally everything everywhere . it welcomes the audience into a future world full of dangers and conflict , certainly , but also of hope , sensitivity , acceptance and – perhaps most importantly – the most eye - popping imagery imaginable .
unfortunately , many of valerian ’s coolest designs — the underwater alien farmers , walking goldfish bowls , and peacock - human hybrids of alpha station — don’t get the time and attention they deserve . a city of a thousand planets is too big to show in its entirety , of course , but instead of weaving these wondrous elements into the film’s most important scenes , besson uses them as exposition and window dressing .
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 .
“ valerian and the city of a thousand planets ” became the film to finally depose “wolf warriors ii” after an unprecedented run . “valerian” opened as the top film with a creditable $ 28 . 8 million , according to data from ent group . that total was earned on close to 80 , 000 screenings per day . and it included $ 3 million from 431 imax screens .
in the movie , special operatives valerian and laureline head to the sprawling intergalactic city of alpha of 17 million inhabitants to try and stop a threat that places the entire human race in great danger .
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 .
from that point on , valerian and the city of a thousand planets quickly evolves into a story of intrigue , with a core conspiracy that begs to be uncovered . of course , valerian and laureline are the only two that can solve the mystery . but any seasoned moviegoer will see the villain and the motivation coming a mile away - - the villain’s reasoning is far too poorly conceived and is based on so much crucial missing information that providing any early clues would venture too far into spoiler territory .
besson has secured the rights to nine of the comic books in the series and will have a script for the second film by the time
valerian and the city of a thousand planets
hits screens next summer ( a trilogy has been fully mapped out , as of now ) , so if the movie turns out to be as awe - inspiring as the trailer suggests , there should be a lot more from the franchise coming your way very soon .
at the time of this article ' s posting , only 23 reviews of valerian and the city of a thousand planets have been written and activated , which means that it ' s score could still fluctuate a bit - - but given what we ' ve seen so far , it seems as though the fifth element is a good field - guide to understanding how critics en masse will react to the blockbuster .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets opened this weekend with ( as of this writing ) a $ 17 million fri - sun frame . that ' s relatively lousy and immediately puts it in the company of the likes of king arthur : legend of the sword , jupiter ascending , pan , john carter , battleship and 47 ronin as a very expensive movie ( $ 150m after rebates ) that couldn ' t remotely pull its weight in north america .
they arrive at the titular city of a thousand planets , a space station citadel of thousands of different alien races all coexisting together in harmony . suddenly , the film stops to go through the different names , species , and environments shown later in the film . rarely have i ever seen a film crowbar its own trailer into the narrative . but , never say never . what’s even more awkward is that valerian and laureline are the ones that asked for the little lesson on the city’s demographics and population for no reason whatsoever .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets is a summer movie that leaves the block unbusted . in fact , it leaves the block pristine and box - fresh and , if you kept the receipt , in a fit condition to be returned to the block store . it is a cordial addition to that genre of films that in a bygone age would lurk in the discount bin in a thousand vanished video shops , but is now destined to occupy a tiny space on itunes , waiting for rihanna fans bored enough to want to stream it . dehaan and delevingne can do better – and so can the rest of us .
twenty years ago , writer / director luc besson brought a new sci - fi vision to the big screen , heavily inspired by the work of pierre christin and jean - claude mézières . . . and now he ' s done it again . there are many connections to draw between the cult classic the fifth element and the upcoming valerian and the city of a thousand planets - - but it seems that a new thing the two movies have in common is the critical response .
at times bubble has to climb onto valerian ' s shoulders in order to disguise them both , in scenes that sadly omit the punch line
you can stand under my umbrella .
there ' s no denying that
valerian and the city of a thousand planets
is something to see , but even with rihanna and herbie hancock onboard , it ' s nothing you want to listen to .
the wga west has reached a $ 1 million settlement with luc besson ' s seaside productions to cover unpaid residuals on 23 films . guild records show that the company , which is owned and managed by the french filmmaker , had a
history of contract violations and noncompliance
and has been
inconsistent in paying residuals .
besson is perhaps best known as the writer - director of the fifth element , lucy and last year’s valerian and the city of a thousand planets , though it ' s…
the fifth element had 188 special effects shots over the course of the movie , besson told us , and a lot of them were practical . valerian and the city of a thousand planets has 2 , 734 special effects shots . there are so many , in fact , that besson decided to break them up into three types and send them out for bids . ultimately , weta digital , industrial light & magic and rodeo fx signed up to provide the effects .
after watching the trailer , we mingled with besson , who was on hand to answer any questions and also to have some wine and cheese with a small assortment of journalist ( he ' s french , after all ! ) the filmmaker said of
valerian and the city of a thousand planets ,
it ' s my dream sci - fi movie .
and there ' s a sense that he has been working towards this film his entire career - -
the fifth element ,
which will be 20 years old by the time
valerian and the city of a thousand planets
hits the big screen , felt like an initial stab at this kind of material . it , too , was inspired by french comic books ( mézières was often cited ) and had a similarly decadent , larger - than - life aesthetic ( those jean paul gaultier costumes ! )
based on the french graphic novel series ' valérian and laureline ' which enjoys cultural impact in europe some 40 years after its debut ( despite little awareness elsewhere on the globe ) , valerian and the city of a thousand planets goes head to head against better - established properties from the likes of dc and marvel in a risky , but ballsy , move - the likes of which we don ' t really see in an increasingly risk - averse hollywood .
the first reviews for luc besson ' s valerian and the city of a thousand planets heap praise upon the movie ' s cgi and spectacle , if not so much its human protagonists . valerian itself is an adaptation of the french sci - fi comic book series valérian and laureline ( which turns 50 this year ) and follows the misadventures of space / time - traversing crime fighters valerian and laureline , as played respectively by dane dehaan ( chronicle , the amazing spider - man 2 ) and cara delevingne ( paper towns , suicide squad ) in besson ' s big screen interpretation .
all of this comes into light not just on the world of valerian website , but when valerian hits theaters on july 21 .
this is mul . it’s the home of a very elegant race of beings who control some of the secrets of the universe . its fate and legacy are a huge part of what valerian is about .
i mostly enjoyed valerian and the city of a thousand planets and i sincerely hope that it kicks butt overseas ( c ' mon , china , pull another billy lynn and show you have better taste than we do ) . moreover , i hope that folks who would enjoy seeing it in theaters make time to do so . you ' ll regret waiting for vod on this one .
which is not to say that
valerian and the city of a thousand planets ,
arriving 50 years after its source material was first published , is anything but a highly derivative pop bauble . besson , an industrial - strength entertainer and the reigning maximalist of the european film industry , isn ' t selling originality so much as volume . he has made a madly overstuffed mos eisley cantina of a movie , one that surveys its diverse alien constituencies with the wide - eyed wonderment of a small child and the attention span to boot .
the dossiers were handed out to the actors to read over , especially the ones who play the cops of this mammoth city .
yes , valerian and the city of a thousand planets really is that bad , bad enough that you don ' t know for the longest time that valerian is one of the lead characters and not a planet or a spaceship . sporting special effects and sets that smack of 50 - year - old barbarella - style tackiness , luc besson ' s $ 200 - million eyesore will barely trigger a momentary blip on the american box - office radar screen , leaving besson with the lone hope that there are parts of the world where the entertainment tastes remain , ahem , less discriminating .
final update , writethru , 1 : 16 pm : after a long six weeks during which the chinese market was cordoned off from imports , this was the frame that marked the return of foreign movies to proc screens . they include the session leader valerian and the city of a thousand planets ( $ 28 . 9m ) , as well as cars 3 ( $ 10 . 7m ) and baby driver ( $ 9 . 6m ) .
why won’t audiences embrace new space operas ? john carter of mars , jupiter ascending and now valerian and the city of a thousand planets all met tepid to disastrous box office responses in most national markets , all but assuring an unlikely franchise future . meanwhile , any old star trek or star wars film will make at least $ 500m and the “good” ones will crack $ 1billion . franchise fever is self - perpetuating .
and yet , valerian and the city of a thousand planets still works , albeit in its own offbeat way . the visuals , especially in 3d , are some of the best you’ll see this summer . besson’s penchant for incredible action is there at all times . as a showcase for a new scifi universe , there’s rarely been better . it’s just the most important stuff—character , emotion , plot—is overshadowed by that universe . that’s what keeps valerian from being great . . . but damned if it isn’t a fun watch .
inevitably , valerian and the city of a thousand planets will be seen by naysayers as a knockoff of the iconic george lucas films , but i can only judge what is on the screen . wacky as the story is , and wooden as some of the acting is , including brooding lead dane dehaan , the pure visual technicolored visual wonder of besson’s view of the 28th century , along with some way - out - there supporting characters , won me over . it is a must in 3d , where this time that format actually makes a difference .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets may only be a month away from hitting theaters , but it ' s just added a new cast member - - elizabeth debicki - - for some last - minute voice - over work . the project , based on a graphic novel , is an english - language french film set to hit theaters on july 21 . the film is directed by luc besson ( the fifth element ) , and stars cara delevingne and dane dehaan .
what were the selling points for valerian and the city of a thousand planets ? it was from a noted visionary filmmaker . it offered something that audiences hadn ' t seen before . it offered a unique cinematic experience explicitly served by seeing it on the biggest movie screen possible . it was a break from franchise reboots , revamps and sequels , offering a story that wasn ' t necessarily original but was a new - to - cinema adventure . now , pop quiz hotshot , am i talking about valerian or am i talking about dunkirk ?
the gorgeous world of mul is a mystery that’s central to valerian . all images : europa
at the time of writing this , valerian and the city of a thousand planets is holding a 72 % fresh rating on rotten tomatoes after 18 reviews , meaning the critical consensus could easily change ( for better or worse ) as more reactions are published ahead of the movie ' s theatrical release next week . to find out more about what critics are saying thus far , read on for some spoiler - free valerian review excerpts ( with links that you can click on for the full reviews ) .
without a doubt , luc besson knows how to make a lavish , astonishing , cinematic big screen event films but continues to struggle to connect with the characters and hitting key emotional beats within the story being told . valerian and the city of a thousand planets excels at being visually striking and exciting , rousing eye candy full of imagination , color , and spectacle ; but , it too is weakened by failing to connect its lead characters , valerian and laureline , to the story itself . by comparison to dazzling wonders to behold , valerian and laureline are flat and dull . it doesn’t help that dane dehaan as valerian and cara delevigne as laureline have very little chemistry which is a critical misstep for the film given how much of the film’s dialog between the two is centered around valerian proposing to laureline . surprisingly , the character of bubble played by rihanna is given a far more engaging arc than the lead characters . this cripples the overall appeal and effect of the film . while audiences will be amazed by the lush landscapes , astonished by the colorful special effects , and thrilled by the fast pacing , the film itself feels hollow without a strong enough character to connect to within its story . the film has plenty of opportunities but almost always opts to focus on the presentation instead of the ingredients . even with this tragic flaw , valerian and the city of a thousand planets nearly succeeds by pure spectacle alone .
that could easily come from a review of valerian and the city of a thousand planets , but it ' s actually from roger ebert ' s write - up of the fifth element when it first came out . like the many who now qualify themselves as fans , notable writers like ebert , gene siskel , and owen gleiberman gave luc besson ' s bombastic sci - fi flick positive marks for its creativity and ingenuity - - even while recognizing that it still has significant problems .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets is sure to amaze and astonish audiences with its superb visual style and sci - fi elements . it collapses under the weight of those elements without a strong emotional core to keep the story itself compelling and engaging . it zips along like so much fluff without challenging its characters or its audience . it may be the best eye - candy of the year , however . for many , that will be enough . the biggest issue the film has is that its leads are miscast . dane dehaan fails to bring the charm and anti - hero shenanigans necessary to elevate valerian to the roguish appeal of a han solo type character . cara delevigne is a little more successful at bringing some cinematic lure and charisma to laureline but the weak dialog does her efforts in . besson seems to realize this perhaps by the amount of time and attention he gives to the aliens , their worlds , and the sci - fi aspects of the story . whenever he is able to do so without burying his film under exposition , the film shines as the opening sequence with the pearls exemplifies . regardless , for valerian fans and those who adore sci - fi fantasy spectacle , valerian and the city of a thousand planets is likely to fit the bill .
among the current slate of movie sequels , franchises , and cinematic universes , it’s hard to come by a film with both great imagination and creativity . fortunately , one such film is 2017’s valerian and the city of a thousand planets . based on a french graphic novel , one of the top five franco - belgian comics from publisher dargaud , it’s only appropriate that luc besson – director of the fifth element , lucy , and leon : the professional – would take it upon himself to deliver on the source material as both writer and director . and in the realm of visual effects and design , valerian knocks it out of the park consistently thanks to weta digital , ilm and rodeo fx – just to name three of the vfx studios that worked on film .
in some ways , “valerian and the city of a thousand planets” builds on a key aspect of “the fifth element , ” which revolved around a gun - wielding maverick with a surprising sentimental core , portrayed by bruce willis . the difference ? “die hard , ” “the last boy scout , ” “pulp fiction” and “12 monkeys” had lent willis an unrestrainable machismo , maintained in “element . ” dehaan , less of a household name than willis was in 1997 , has a more malleable reputation and a more gaunt countenance , as evidenced earlier this year in “a cure for wellness . ” put differently , willis was a brand ; dehaan is not .
besson , a frenchman whose eye - popping aesthetics won him american success , had sought to adapt “valérian and laureline” ― the comics series he loved as a child ― since making the 1997 oddity “the fifth element . ” a futuristic space opera set in the outer reaches of the galaxy , “valerian and the city of a thousand planets” evolved throughout its development , getting an entire rewrite after besson saw “avatar” and decided his initial script “ wasn’t good enough . ” but one thing never changed : besson always wanted a leading man without typical leading - man attributes .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets shows flashes of the fun , excitement , and infatuating creativity you’d hope to see in a modern space opera . ( without giving it away , the film’s first 5 - 10 minutes , which provide an abridged montage of alpha station’s origin , using the film’s interesting art and design to great effect . ) despite these glimpses of compelling lore , most of valerian feels like a series of concepts , connected by an extremely bare - bones action tale . from afar , its best ideas look as if they’ve been drawn from an imagination running wild — but get closer and there’s no aspect of this movie that really stands out .
but it ' s not just
the fifth element
that
valerian and the city of a thousand planets
calls to mind . there ' s also echoes of the absurdist humor that ran through things like
angel - a
and
the family ,
and the kind of harmonious one - love message of his brilliant
lucy ,
which was sort of like terrence malick ' s contemplative
tree of life
but remade as a late - night direct - to - cinemax action movie . and someone from besson ' s europacorp told us that the original comic books that inspired
valerian and the city of a thousand planets
have largely informed besson ' s entire career , from the way he writes rat - a - tat dialogue between actors to his fascination with a strong female central character . when i asked besson about alexandre desplat ' s score for the film ( which , honestly , seems like an odd tonal fit considering the composer ' s rather somber proclivities ) , since it was announced that he would be handling the music shortly after leaving similar duties on
rogue one : a star wars story ,
besson said he hadn ' t heard anything yet .
he starts this week ,
besson explained . so while things that he had been tinkering with for
star wars
could end up in the mix for
valerian and the city of a thousand planets
( and given how long desplat was a part of
rogue one ,
that seems likely ) , besson hasn ' t heard a note .
“valerian and the city of a thousand planets” is an utter delight and one of the most gorgeous fantasies to hit the screen in recent memory—the kind of film that can take moviegoers logy from the usual array of craptaculars and render them giddy with its pure fun . the question , of course , is whether viewers will be willing to give its weirdo charms a chance . but if you want to come away from a film feeling dazzled instead of simply dazed , this is an absolute must . besides , it is almost certainly going to become a cult favorite in a few years , so why not get in on the ground floor while you can ?
, the two of them are suddenly standing in the surf of a painfully beautiful beach completely out of the blue . laureline is quick to remind valerian of his promise .
in his ludicrously entertaining 2014 science - fiction thriller ,
lucy ,
the french director luc besson gave us a chemically enhanced action heroine with the rare ability to harness 100 % of her brainpower . besson ' s latest futuristic whatsit ,
valerian and the city of a thousand planets ,
seems determined to induce the opposite effect in the viewer . when you enter the theater , you can pick up your 3 - d glasses with one hand and drop off your brain with the other .
the review embargo for valerian and the city of a thousand planets lifted yesterday evening , and the earliest write - ups suggest the movie is going to get a mostly positive , but mixed response . every critic thus far has commented on the intense visual spectacle the film , but some are more forgiving when it comes to the weaknesses in its narrative and its pacing . it seems that it ' s a blockbuster you ' re either on board with or not , and that ' s practically identical to the responses that the fifth element received back in the late 1990s .
spaceship girl : valerian ' s ship has a female a . i . called alex .
in the century xxviii , the space station alpha is a city where beings from different planets live together exchanging their knowledge and culture . peace is granted by a human force , including major valerian and his partner sergeant laureline . they are assigned by the defence minister to retrieve the last species of converter in a dangerous mission . they succeed and back to alpha , unknown humanoids abduct commander arun filitt expecting to steal the converter . they head to a forbidden area that is infected but valerian and laureline follow them and disclose a hidden secret about the race and the infected area .
when besson is working on a big canvas , as with 1997’s the fifth element , a film with the straight - faced audacity to posit that love truly is the fifth element , it becomes impossible to deny his auteur status . two decades after the fifth element was a worldwide box - office success and attained instant cult classic status , besson has made another magnum opus , another labor of love , another movie that is so personal that it’s essentially luc besson in cinematic form , in valerian and the city of a thousand planets .
seven centuries in the future , alien species from across the universe have converged to call the city of alpha home ; a sprawling melting pot where planets share and coexist in harmony for the betterment of all . but during a mission which finds them called to hunt down a rare , and priceless prize , agents valerian ( dane dehaan ) and laureline ( cara delevingne ) become embroiled in a conspiracy which could spell doom for alpha and all that ' s been built .
red shirt : the squad of soldiers who accompany valerian and laureline on their mission at the beginning of the movie . not one of them survive it .
the summer isn ' t quite over , but valerian and the city of a thousand planets is certainly the frontrunner to be named the spectacle of the summer , and while many franchises have disappointed , this is a movie that ends with you wanting to see much more from the universe it introduces . it ' s visually stunning , beautifully prescient in its humanist themes ( alien - ist too , i suppose ? ) , and while its reach doesn ' t match its grasp in some respects , you ' re still left respecting the hell out of the reach alone .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets hopes you don’t focus too much on the script and characters , or lack thereof , while at the same time , it amazes you with incredible visuals and design . so much of the world of valerian looks applicable and reasonable to various alien species - - aliens that are robots manage the economy , floating up and down while collecting data ; aliens that exist underwater need an apparatus to successfully farm their crops . the vfx does a fantastic job making you believe that this world exists . it even does an admirable job making all the real actors look like they belong in this universe too…most of the time . several times , valerian walked into a location where you can literally see the greenscreen , abruptly snapping you out of any suspension of disbelief you might have .
valerian and the city of a thousand planets is a jaw - droppingly beautiful and often delightfully exciting sci - fi adventure . taking place in the not - so - near future , it is ( like the fifth element before it ) an uncommonly optimistic portrait of the future . . . while the main selling point will be the 3d - friendly spectacle , besson remembers to root his story in character . okay , his heroic duo , valerian ( dane dehaan ) and laureline ( cara delevinge ) aren’t exactly classic cinematic creations . but they are a lot of fun to spend time with , which only adds to the razzle - dazzle .
it’s a shame that besson so brilliantly brought this universe to life , but wasn’t able to help the audience connect with the characters or the script . the humans act weird while certain weird aliens display more life and personality than any of the cast . the setting is beautiful and the action well - choreographed . but , there’s no tension in any of the scenes because dehaan and delevigne don’t act like real people in danger . as a result , there is no reason to care about what happens to either of them . valerian and the city of a thousand planets is a typical case of a big production that’s all sizzle and no steak , that never connects with an audience or gives them anything or anyone to root for .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
now that ' s not to say that valerian and the city of a thousand planets would have opened at $ 40 million had it debuted on aug . 4 , 2017 . it still may well have lost out on the imax screens and the plf theaters to a still relatively
new
dunkirk , and the whole
no movie stars
( rihanna fans didn ' t show up the way harry styles fans did ) and
obscure source material
thing still would have been a handicap . but opening away from the chris nolan war drama would have allowed valerian to stake its claim in terms of what it had to offer as the summer wound down .
based on pierre christin and jean - claude mézières’ valerian and laureline graphic novels that began in the ’60s—and inspired besson’s equally outré the fifth element —the movie plays as if the filmmaker desired to cram every odd element from the comics into one feature . you can’t accuse valerian and the city of a thousand planets of lacking ambition or visual imagination ; there’s a new , sometimes eye - popping sight every few minutes . besson also continues his fifth element penchant for casting recognizable actors in oddball supporting roles ; here , ethan hawke plays jolly , the gonzo owner of a club in this universe’s red - light district , where rihanna portrays bubble , an alien dancer with cgi - enhanced costume changes .
progressive era montage : an opening montage shows the evolution of a human space station into the eponymous city in space , and its role as a diplomatic nexus first for human races , then alien ones .
breaking : in a major move that redefines stx entertainment ’s place in the distribution landscape and decimates the distribution pipeline red , stx motion pictures group has made a three - year deal with europacorp films usa to release and market the upcoming films hatched by luc besson ’s production entity . that includes europacorp’s biggest gamble , the besson - directed valerian and the city of a thousand planets , the most fiscally and creatively ambitious film in that hit - making director’s career , at around a $ 180 million budget . the deal was announced by adam fogelson , chairman , motion picture group , stx entertainment , and marc shmuger , europacorp ceo .
dehaan and delevingne will play valerian and laureline in the adaptation of the original story , which centered on a pair of spatio - temporal agents who help defend a utopian 28th century earth and its neighboring planets from bad guys , with the pair’s adventures rooted in space opera and time travel themes not so much unlike fifth element , besson’s seminal 1997 pic .
and now , a few of the beings in the film . this is a kortan dahuk , one of the many races who contributes to the creation of alpha .
“the first woman i fell in love with was probably laureline , ” luc besson , the french director behind the forthcoming film valerian and the city of a thousand planets , said last year . “she was totally free and badass , and . . . was a very modern heroine at the time . ” besson was talking about one half of the duo at the center of valérian and laureline , the legendary sci - fi comic series his new movie is based on . written by pierre christin and illustrated by jean - claude mézières , the comics debuted in 1967 and follow the two eponymous “spatio - temporal agents” who work for an organization called galaxity , and , later , as mercenaries . valérian and laureline travel as partners—both professional and romantic—through space and time to resolve conflicts and foil villainous plots .


rampage is a 2009 mass murder thriller film directed by uwe boll and starring brendan fletcher , michael paré , shaun sipos and lynda boyd .

rampage received a theatrical release in germany , though was released direct-to-video in the rest of the world .

it was boll 's first film to gain mainly positive reviews .

a sequel , titled rampage : capital punishment , was released on august 19 , 2014 and a second sequel , rampage : president down was released in 2016 .

all three films were directed by uwe boll .

rampage ( 2009 film )

rampage : capital punishment ( 2014 ) this sequel to 2009 ' s mass shooter film continues the story of anti - hero bill williamson as he holds a tv station hostage .
rampage : capital punishment ( 2014 ) this sequel to 2009 ' s mass shooter film continues the story of anti - hero bill williamson as he holds a tv station hostage . : netflixbestof
bill williamson is a mass murderer and the main character of the low - budget independent rampage film trilogy , which consists of the first film in 2009 , the sequel capital punishment in 2014 and the finale president down released in 2016 .
“i am hoping that indian investors will show some interest in the film , ” he said in an interview in goa , where he is attending the international film festival of india 2009 .
the
rogue
star returns for the german filmmaker ' s sequel to the 2009 mass murder thriller .
ufc fighter , rampage jackson , not cast as in ' a - team ' film . . . yet
ufc fighter rampage jackson is the a - team ' s new b . a . baracus – / film
on friday , february 13 , 2009 , friday the 13th was released in 3 , 105 theaters in north america . the 2009 film was given the widest release of any friday the 13th film , including the crossover film with a nightmare on elm street . it was released in nearly three times as many theaters as the original 1980 film , and edged out freddy vs . jason by 91 theaters . friday the 13th also saw release in 2 , 100 theaters throughout 28 foreign markets . the film was released on dvd , blu - ray , and apple tv on june 16 , 2009 . the dvd and blu - ray releases contain both a theatrical release and an extended cut of the film .
the sequel to the original 2009 mass murder thriller that also starred fletcher is shooting over six days in maple ridge , british columbia .
rampage has its american premiere on sunday , sept . 27 , at the fantastic fest film festival in austin , texas .
peter sciretta is a film geek and popcultured fanboy living in los angeles . he created / film in 2005 .
ufc fighter rampage jackson is the a - team’s new b . a . baracus
uwe boll threatens legal action against ‘rampage’ , demands warner bros . change the title
instead , rampage is the movie that postal should have been . it is falling down without the morals . rampage is angry , sadistic , fun , yet disturbing .
there are no critic reviews yet for rampage . keep checking rotten tomatoes for updates !
a funny thing happened back in 2009 : uwe boll made a movie a lot of people really liked . rampage seemed like the antithesis of the german director’s output at the time , with films such as seed and postal leaving a bad taste in audiences’ mouths . then rampage came along and everyone was like , “boll made this ? ”
disturbingly topical and surprisingly natural , uwe boll ' s rampage is easily his best film , despite all of the usual shortcomings that plague his work .
review | rampage : president down ( 2016 ) | yes . uwe boll is back .
friday the 13th was the fifteenth - highest grossing r - rated film of 2009 . because of the significant decrease in box office revenues in its second weekend , the film had the sixth - largest second - weekend drop . it is the seventh - largest drop for a film that opened as the top - earning film in the united states . with its $ 65 million revenue at the north american box office , friday the 13th is the highest - grossing film among the recent slasher remakes , which comprise when a stranger calls ( 2006 ) , black christmas ( 2006 ) , halloween ( 2007 ) , prom night ( 2008 ) , and my bloody valentine 3d ( 2009 ) . the film is ranked seventh - highest earning of all horror remakes , and is the seventh - highest earning slasher film in unadjusted dollars .
mcaleece , who grew up in fresno and studied broadcasting and mass communications at fresno state , has worked on numerous films as a producer , actor and cinematographer , said he got the idea for “brick madness” while working on a short film in 2009 .
the project has been in the works since 2011 , although this is the first major development since its announcement back then . midway published the original rampage in 1986 ; the company went bankrupt in 2009 , and warner bros . ( which also owns new line ) acquired most of its assets .
good film and well written . it used quite a lot of current controversial issues about guns in america and their abuse . it was a thinking film , that either you ended up mindful of why the lad went on a rampage or in complete disgust for getting away with it . very interesting film and good casting .
re : review | rampage : president down ( 2016 ) | yes . uwe boll is back .
for more on the rampage arcade game , check out gameplay footage below from the 2012 compilation midway arcade origins .
a young couple engage in a rampage of murder , rape and mayhem in order to stimulate their sexual appetites .
i love rampage 2 . i ' m looking forward to the fucked up shit bill will do in the next one .
mondo macabro released the film with english subtitles on region 0 on october 28 , 2008 .
this is the only uwe boll film i´ve seen . apparently he´s guilty of a number of sub - par movies . i liked rampage . not bad , at all . . . the bingo sequence is a classic .
friday the 13th is a 2009 american slasher film directed by marcus nispel and written by damian shannon and mark swift . it is a reboot of the friday the 13th film series , which began in 1980 . nispel also directed the 2003 remake of tobe hooper ' s the texas chain saw massacre ( 1974 ) , while shannon and swift wrote the screenplay for the 2003 crossover freddy vs . jason . the film was distributed by new line cinema and paramount pictures theatrically in the united states , while warner bros . distributed it worldwide .
local actress rease eztler said she really enjoyed the film and that it really made her laugh .
how this film got past the sensors is beyond me i dont think ive seen a more violent film , no wonder american gun nuts act the way they do with films like this as inspiration , film wise its okay has a twist in the tale and there is folllow up ' s .
on its opening day , friday the 13th grossed $ 19 , 293 , 446 , and immediately exceeded the individual box office grosses for jason takes manhattan ( 1989 ) , jason goes to hell ( 1993 ) , and jason x ( 2002 ) , which earned $ 14 , 343 , 976 , $ 15 , 935 , 068 , and $ 13 , 121 , 555 , respectively . from february 14–16 , friday the 13th earned an additional $ 24 , 292 , 003 , making its four - day president ' s day weekend total $ 43 , 585 , 449 . by the end of its three - day opening weekend , it was already the second highest grossing film in the series , having earned $ 40 , 570 , 365 , slightly exceeding the grudge ( 2004 ) for the best 3 - day weekend opening of any horror film . when comparing the 2009 film ' s opening weekend to that of its 1980 counterpart in adjusted 2009 us dollars , the original friday the 13th film earned $ 17 , 251 , 975 . although the 2009 film made more money , when factoring in the number of theaters each film was released in , the 1980 film earned an average of $ 15 , 683 per theater , compared to the 2009 film ' s average of $ 13 , 066 . friday the 13th saw a significant drop in attendance in its second weekend at the box office . on its second friday , the film earned $ 2 , 802 , 977—a decrease of 85 . 5 % from its opening friday . by the end of its second weekend , the film had earned $ 7 , 942 , 472—a decrease of 80 . 4 % from the previous weekend . as a result , the film went from first place to sixth in the weekend box office chart . by its third weekend , friday the 13th had left the top ten , earning $ 3 , 689 , 156—a 53 . 6 % decrease from its second weekend . by the end of its box office run , friday the 13th earned an estimated $ 65 million at the united states box office , but failed to regain a top ten spot after its third weekend .
would be starring in steven soderbergh’s next film . now there is a credible report that former ufc champ
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
mcaleece said that he was happy with the film’s reception and he hopes that his film will have a lot of replay value , and that people watch it more than once . he plans on trying to get more distribution for his film and make it available on more platforms for more people to enjoy .
toronto – movie schlockmeister uwe boll has started rolling the cameras on his latest project , rampage 2 , with rogue ' s brendan fletcher starring .
form and fuller recognized the iconic status of the music used in the first four friday the 13th films . for their 2009 film , they immediately had the studio attain the licensing rights to the music , which was composed and originally performed by harry manfredini . they did not plan to use the score in its entirety , but they used steve jablonsky to compose a score that was reminiscent of manfredini ' s and created the atmosphere for the 2009 film . nispel contacted jablonsky to score friday the 13th after having worked with him on the remake of the texas chainsaw massacre . nispel told jablonsky he wanted him to create something that nispel could
whistle when [ he ] left the theater
, but was subtle enough that it would not immediately register while watching the film . nispel said ,
i don ' t believe that , when you watch a friday the 13th film , you want to feel like john williams is sitting next to you with the london symphony orchestra
.
max schmeling is a 2010 german biographical film directed by uwe boll . the film tells the story of german boxing icon max schmeling . it was released abroad under the title max schmeling : fist of the reich .
if i could give this zero stars i would . watched the first 10 mins and turned off . rubbish film
the film took nearly nine years to complete , but the story and visuals really flow well into one another .
if you watch this film intently , including the seemingly slow first half you , like me , will realize just how flippin good this film is , my second favourite film . but please . . . . . . . please . . . don ' t copy the actions of the lead character at home or , anywhere near my address .
in contrast to the film ' s detractors , the new york times ' s nathan lee said friday the 13th managed to
reboot the concept
of the original films with style . lee said the film takes pleasure in killing off each of its characters , that there is a desire among cinemagoers for this type of material , and that friday the 13th satisfies that desire . adam graham from the detroit news said the film is the most effective and scary film in the friday the 13th series ; he praised its choice of allowing jason to run after his victims—as opposed to slowly walking behind them , as became prominent in later sequels—because it made him more menacing . graham also said the film does not
soften
jason ' s scariness by providing a sympathetic backstory . entertainment weekly ' s clark collis said director nispel made a competent film that performs better as a whole than the previously released remakes of prom night ( 2008 ) and my bloody valentine 3d ( 2009 ) , although it does provide a few too many unbelievable character moments .
was audacious though somewhat confusing at times but overall , the film stands as a bold middle finger during these bleak times .
dwayne
the rock
johnson has signed on to star in new line cinema ' s upcoming silver - screen adaptation of the 1980s arcade game rampage , reports deadline .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
rampage 2 has fletcher returning as a man who takes over a tv station and holds a number of hostages as a political platform to awaken humanity , instead of for money .
but that is exactly what i have to say about uwe boll ' s latest film . it is good . very good .
the film , scheduled for release later this year , is a murder - mystery set in the fashion houses of new york .
good movie , reminds me of saw . bad guy kills a lot of people and gets away with it . rampage style more than horror movie style . does need a sequel .
five years later , here we are with rampage : capital punishment ( originally tiled rampage 2 : you end now ) . this time around , boll takes on the nsa , obama , and a slew of other figures he sees as damning america straight to hell . most loudly , he takes on the wealthy and their influence in government . much like the first film , there’s nothing subtle about the politics in rampage 2 . bill williamson is crystal clear in his motivations for killing a lot of people and seeking a way to get his message to the world . for him , there’s no way the revolution can be peaceful . the occupy movement ? don’t make williamson laugh .
a political platform to awaken humanity .
according to the hollywood reporter , the rampage 2 will be filmed over the course of a six - day shoot in british columbia . word that boll is working on the rampage 2 comes only a few short months after the director attempted to fund a sequel to his film adaptation of postal on kickstarter . unfortunately for boll , that effort only raised $ 29 , 977 of the $ 500 , 000 he was seeking . there is currently no word on when we can expect to see the rampage 2 in theaters , though if the movie follows the same path as boll ' s other recent films expect it to skip movie houses entirely and go straight to dvd .
rampage is a movie starring brendan fletcher , shaun sipos , and michael paré . a man with a thirst for revenge builds a full body armor from kevlar and goes on a killing spree .
actress tamaki katsura had long hair before taking her role for this film . hasebe told her that he wished for her character to sport an
perm . realizing that this would limit her career choices for a time , katsura nevertheless agreed to the change in hairstyle for the film .
a . s . e . editor nick’s drama editing experience plays an important part in his collaborations with documentary maker george gittoes , as seen in the highly acclaimed feature docs rampage and the miscreants of taliwood . his feature film credits include the boys , the bank , three dollars and the recently released balibo . he was also a consultant on the rolf de heer’s ten canoes , and worked on the spike jonze film where the wild things are . nick received an afi award nomination for editing the boys . for the bank , he won both the australian film critics award and the if award for editing , and in 2006 , he was nominated for an afi award for ‘best sound in a documentary’ for gittoes’ rampage . between 1993 & 2000 nick created the dramatic lighting effects at sydney’s famous tender trap .
the washington post ' s dan zak wrote that the film fails to provide laughs , scares , suspense , or gore . zak also said it fails to provide the exhibition of nudity expected of horror films that cannot deliver on the previously listed criteria . mark olsen of the los angeles times said nispel captured the despair he created with his texas chainsaw massacre remake . olsen also said the film failed to provide the
giddiness
,
teenage lust
, and
rambunctiousness
that made the previous friday the 13th films work . wesley morris said friday the 13th did have humor ; he said the characters continually act the clichéd role of would - be - victim , making it hard to fear for their safety . in his opinion , the 2009 film lacked the
psycho - social
aspect—a mother killing out of revenge for her son ' s death—crafted by its 1980 predecessor , and ultimately the film is
more hilarious than terrifying
.
rampage is being produced by beau flynn ( requiem for a dream ) ; he and new line are re - teaming with johnson after the smashing success of san andreas . the disaster movie premiered last month and is currently the year ' s sixth - highest - grossing film worldwide , with more than $ 415 million in box office receipts .
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as of july 2014 , the 2009 film is the fifth - highest earning president ' s day weekend with $ 45 , 033 , 454 . it is the eighth - highest grossing weekend in the month of february , and the eighth - highest - grossing weekend for the winter season—the period from the first day after the new year weekend until the first thursday of march . friday the 13th finished as the fourth - highest grossing film of any february with $ 59 . 8 million , just behind taken with $ 84 . 3 million , he ' s just not that into you with $ 77 . 2 million , and madea goes to jail , with $ 60 . 9 million .
rampage is not a nice film , nor is it for your garden variety movie viewer . it ' s frightening , deliberately prods exposed nerves , and is pretty critical of american values and our fondness for violence . while the film isn ' t openly anti - american , it ' s not hard to peel the layers to see the harsh critique of our way of life . occasionally funny , and often razor sharp in its observations , rampage is a radical departure from the work we ' ve become accustomed to and ultimately ignored for the past few years ( boll ' s directed and released five films since postal two years ago , with two more in post - production . ever heard of them ? )
, write that katsura was the critic ' s favorite to win , but that the extreme nature of the film and her performance alienated many voters .
i saw this at the candian premiere at dedfest and honest to god vowed to sit through some of uwe boll ' s other atrocious films to try and catch the exact moment when he became competent . from house of the dead to seed to rampage his next film could well be a bona fide masterpiece ! granted there were some problems but most films have problems and compared to the complete trash he ' s produced in years past this was his shawshank redemption . brendan fletcher really keeps this movie up and his eerily dopey presence adds all the more to the ensuing violence . smart but not too smart somewhat believable . one scene however stands heads and shoulders above the rest and it involves old people and bingo . enough said . thoroughly enjoyable not too much film school editing and slick over all . if you only ever watch one boll film let it be rampage .
despite a widely circulated report from uk tabloid , the sun , ufc superstar quinton “rampage” jackson has not been cast as b . a . baracuz in the upcoming big screen adaptation of “the a - team . ”
the actor plays a transvestite supermodel called minx in the edgy film , which also stars dame judi dench and lily cole as a starlet called lettuce leaf .
the film is set to be shot around the area of the taj mahal which was built in agra . it is expected to be released in 2011 .
usually playing secondary characters , it was katsura ' s first starring role . for her performance in the film , she was nominated as best actress at the mainstream
alonso duralde wrote that the film should please slasher fans , but that it added nothing new to the genre or the franchise and would not appeal to people who did not like slasher films . duralde criticized the film for adding a black and an asian character in an attempt to
update the movie for the new millennium
. he also said the prospect of another friday the 13th —crafted by the film ' s
sequel - friendly
ending—did not leave him with a feeling of dread . bill goodykoontz of the arizona republic said the film accepts the
ridiculousness
of what it is trying to accomplish—mainly the
death and dismemberment
of
party - hungry kids
, and that audiences would enjoy it if they also recognized that . although goodykoontz acknowledges the unique touches the film brings to certain characters ' deaths , he was unimpressed with the acting and said padalecki ' s presence gave the film a
less - good episode of supernatural
vibe .
a movie by one of the worst directors of all time ? ok that may be harsh , but i have not seen rampage , but i have no idea how that uwe guy still has studies green light his projects .
the film has flaws , including but not limited to some of the improv acting . boll shot the film using handheld cameras , doc - style putting the viewer in the middle of the action , sometimes in close - up . and from what i understand , the action beats were planned out , but most of the dialogue was improved by the actors based on a treatment , to give the film a more natural feel ( which sometimes works and other times doesn’t even come close ) .
rampage : capital punishment is a movie starring brendan fletcher , lochlyn munro , and mike dopud . a man takes over a tv station and holds a number of hostages as a political platform to awaken humanity , instead of money .
the role is a loaded one , as it broke mr . t into global superstardom during the show’s original run from 1983 to 1987 . the vancouver sun reports now that rampage jackson ( real name : quinton ramone jackson ) was just recently cast in the film , after a high - profile string of rumors had pegged nearly every possible african - american actor or celebrity with the proper build to join the film . when john singleton was directing the film there was a lot of talk about jackson taking the role , so this isn’t much of a surprise . jackson has a minor career as an actor ( he’s got credits in midnight meat train , among other things , but this will be his first major role . )
in my lifetime i have only ever walked out of one film , and that was house of the dead . i wouldn ' t have walked out of rampage if the theater was on fire . this film will be misunderstood , torn apart by entire organizations , and will undoubtedly infuriate most who ever get the chance to see it . think what you may about dr . uwe boll , but this film is right and pure in the way that only independent cinema can be ; and douglas ' falling down never could be . this film will never get wide distribution because the level of violence and lack of easy answers will be too much for most people . i haven ' t bought a dvd in months and i ' ve got this one pre - ordered for sure . shockingly amazing from a man most people thought was only capable of churning out crap ( and usually does ) .
normally i am hungry for any and all films no matter how good or bad they are but this film is perhaps the only film i have ever seen that makes me wants to call for the maker , and all those involved , to be gaoled for life . as if our western world did not have enough random mass killings already , here ' s a film which methodically lays out an action plan for all psycho loonies out there to follow in order to get their jollies . this is not a crime film , this is not a thriller , this is not some sort of thought experiment into what makes people turn like this . this is purely and simply a sick , depraved attempt at bringing the thoughts and wishes of a truly disturbed film maker into reality . i ' ll bet he jerked off to it when he saw the final edit . this film wallows like a filth encrusted swine drowning in its own feces . it lingers tortuously on images of the mangled , blood - spattered bodies of innocent people - you can almost sense the director drooling over each massacre scene . this film has wasted enough of my life already i ' ll say no more about it .
wouldnt be so bad if they didn ' t take their camera training from the school of the blair witch project . not a single level camera view in this film .
20 century fox has enlisted joe carnahan ( smokin’ aces ) as the film’s director . however , at press time , it was unknown when filming was slated to begin .
it became obvious very quickly during this film that every party involved were just ready to move on and this film was the only thing holding them back . the first rampage will forever hold a special place in my heart , the second one was alright but obviously attempted to capitalize ( ironic due to the movie ' s message ) on the cult following the first movie received and this movie was a showcase on what happens when a series is held on too long . i ' m glad i watched it and may again later down the road during a rampage marathon but it was a huge let down over all . great series overall but was the final nail in the coffin for the series in a bad way but glad that a fourth will not be coming out , it was time to take this one out to pasture .
a surprisingly good film . . . was skeptical at first but interesting concept . makes me wonder what kind of fantasy world the director lives in . . worth a watch .
the page bill williamson ( rampage ) contains mature content that may include coarse language , sexual references , and / or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some . mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older .
the film is crafted to look like a real sports documentary ; the editing and story make it easy to take serious a subject that most might think is odd or just plain silly .
rampage 2 is actually more preachy than its predecessor , with williamson’s rants touching on basically every shitty thing wrong in our society today . with the broader range in gripes , i would’ve preferred a bigger setting than the first , rather than the cramped tv studio . i’m sure that had a lot to do with budgetary constraints , but who wouldn’t have loved to see williamson take his fight to washington ? maybe boll and fletcher will take us there in the third film , which is left wide open once again by the ending here . it’s a decent follow - up to a great film , i just wished they had gone bigger .
rampage is uwe boll ' s explosive entry onto the moviemaking scene as a real , honest - to - god filmmaker . he ' s not adapting a property , he ' s not spoofing anything . uwe has something to say , something that ' s been moderately hinted at in his previous works , but is only for the first time really , honestly laid out . this is a film about violence in america , about apocalyptic conspiracy nuts preparing for the end of days , about the gluttony of the american mindset . uwe boll has taken his views of american culture and boiled them down into a dangerous , gutsy , brazen film .
even a broken clock is right two times a day . and it was bound to happen eventually… . uwe boll has made a good movie . not a great movie , but a decent film . not just good in comparison to the rest of his filmography , but a good movie in its own right . rampage isn’t based on the 1986 midway arcade video game , although you might assume so since boll is involved in a lot of video game adaptations .
“ rampage ” isn’t for everyone , but i liked it . it isn’t anything new or original , but there was just something about it that i liked . if you are looking for a film with intense character development and an original concept then i would advise you to skip this one , but on the other hand if you just want to watch a brainless movie about a nut in body armor going around shooting people then give this flick a try .
the rampage arcade game put players in the role of three monsters — george the gorilla , lizzie the lizard and ralph the werewolf — attempting to reduce various north american cities to rubble . the beasts faced opposition in the form of military forces bent on stopping the urban destruction . new line is keeping plot specifics of the film under wraps at this point , but deadline reports that johnson ' s character
gets in [ the monsters ' ] way .
when we asked readers of this blog to post their suggestions for actors to star in the new a - team film earlier this year , one name was mysteriously missing from the slew of responses . ving rhames , the wire ' s idris elba , michael clarke duncan and ice cube were all proposed as possible candidates to replace mr t in the iconic role of sergeant ba baracus , but oddly enough , no one thought to suggest quinton
rampage
jackson .
review : uwe boll . his name often strikes fear into the hearts of movie fans everywhere . he is responsible for several horrible film adaptations of several popular video games , and most gamers look at him with the same disdain as comic book fans look at joel shumacher ( who made a mockery of the batman franchise in the 1990’s ) . i have only seen one of his movies , and that was the very terrible “house of the dead ( it is hard to screw up a zombie flick , but somehow he managed to succeed with this film ) . ” i knew very little about “ rampage , ” and to be honest after i found out boll directed it i assumed it was a movie version of the video game “ rampage ” that was popular back in the day . fortunately it wasn’t a movie centered around that game and believe it or not , even with boll at the helm it actually wasn’t a bad movie .
no director is attached to rampage at this point , although a script by ryan engle ( non - stop ) is in place . production is set to begin next summer following johnson ' s work on fast & furious 8 , which is scheduled to debut in april 2017 .
producer gabrielle dalton has collaborated closely with gittoes for over 30 years . since 1980 dalton has produced a range of performances , exhibitions , published writing and film productions – including feature docs warriors & lawmen ( ‘84 ) , the bullets of the poets ( ’86 ) , making films and bringing the artist’s concepts into reality , in exhibition , and large scale theatrical performances , combining her skills as arts journalist , fine art historian , and film script writer - producer and published author . she is principal , with gittoes , in the production company , gittoes & dalton productions , creator of the no exit feature doc trilogy , soundtrack to war , rampage , and the miscreants of taliwood .
a scathing critique of our degenerate american culture . the main character embodies what america has become - - depraved , psychotic , and self - destructive . this is a very prescient film . i highly recommend it .
i rented rampage last night . i didn ' t know anything about the film but the cover looked good enough . when i saw uwe boll ' s name at the opening credits i exclaimed :
oh no ! i have just ruined my evening ! ! !
but there was nothing interesting on tv so i went ahead and watched it . it turned out to be one of the most astonishingly pleasant surprises i ' ve ever had as far as films are concerned . it was an uwe boll film and it wasn ' t a piece of garbage . i was really avoiding his films in the past for reasons i don ' t have to explain . i never thought i ' d ever write any reviews about films but mr boll made a film that i enjoyed watching . that is something . i don ' t want to dissect the film and analyse the acting , effects , camera work and all that . all i know is that i didn ' t regret spending neither the money renting it nor the time watching it . will mr boll make films in the future that will give you some fun instead of a nervous breakdown ? we shall see .
rampage ends with fletcher’s character bill williamson escaping into solitude with a lot of stolen bank money . his video message to the world dropped two years after his disappearance , leading to cult stardom for the mass murderer with a message . with an ending as wide open as that , a sequel was inevitable .
plays bill , a young man who plans possibly the biggest killing spree in history , gunning down innocent people in a small town . unlike falling down , the film doesn’t feature a bad guy and the good guy trying to stop him . instead , we see the mass murder spree from the point of view of bill , who you will sometimes find yourself relating to , especially in the early minutes of the film before the killings . and that is why this film works — it puts you in a very uncomfortable position . when bill walked into a bingo hall with hundreds of old men and women , my mouth was never open wider in anticipation of what horrible things may come to follow .
this film ' s brutal and gratuitous violence deeply offended me ! this movie tried to make a statement that society is crumbling , but i don ' t need to see beauty parlors full of innocent women be mowed down with a machine gun to get that point . the main character ' s way of making that statement defeats the purpose of the statement itself ; mass murder ? and where is the solution to the problem ? the film offers none . 0 / 5
boll is learning and he’s evolving as a filmmaker . once stubborn ( refusing to accept any blame ) and always angry with the press , it’s almost as if the german ed wood has taken a deep look into the mirror , reflected on his films , and made a turn for the better . while boll’s message can be slightly confusing and / or construed differently by each viewer , rampage is a controversial film that’s not only relevant to our bleak times , but also politically daring . it’s not 100 % coherent , and the acting can be painful at times ( with the exception of brendan fletcher , omg ) , but in the end dr . uwe boll has delivered a film that i can finally recommend . while it might not sit well with every viewer , most of you might actually enjoy this .
this isn ' t even a b movie . it ' s been quite some time since i saw a film this bad . if you hate the u . s . a . and love mass violence then you may like this one .
laughter filled the tower theatre on sept . 9 for the premiere of “brick madness” , a mockumentary film shot in fresno that revolves around a lego building , or what builders in the movie call “brix” , rivalry , and the eccentric personalities .
there is an underdog element in the film with brix competitor seth paxson , played by matthew albrecht , who is trying to reclaim a charity he runs and clear the name of max grand , a legendary brix builder who was shunned after using glue in a competition . albrecht plays the well - intentioned , almost normal guy , especially when compared to other more animated characters in the movie , but he does bring the heart to the film , and he is a talented actor .
kingsley , 65 , told reuters that the film , titled “taj” , was a dream project for him , but one that would cost up to $ 27 million — money he hopes indian producers will put up despite the global economic downturn .
that ' s not to say that the film isn ' t without its flaws . there are some bits of dialogue between bill and his mother in which the mother sounds like she is ad - libbing badly - - punctuating her speech with the ahhhhs and ummmms of someone stammering to find the right words . also the film features a final title card that is more than a little silly and should be excised before release . it just kind of undoes a lot of what uwe worked to build , and yet it isn ' t so bad that it ruins the 90 or so minutes that came before it ; it ' s just a bit of unnecessary spoon - feeding in a film already much smarter than we expect from boll .
bill williamson : all talk , no action .
vengeance is ruthless
when we think of uwe boll , we think of a director who is crazy and is seemingly incapable of making a good , worthwhile film . rampage is something slightly different though . it ' s actually well made , and the lead , brendan fletcher actually gives a pretty good performance . so rampage isn ' t another piece of shit from boll , but actually a pretty good movie . i had a hard time gathering my feelings on this one though . it ' s entertaining and fairly intelligent at times , but the way it all wraps up seems a little too easy and that ' s when some glaring holes start to become present . a 23 year old , bill , still lives at home with his parents and some weird , crazy anger about him that it seems he is able to hide from everyone . he builds an armored suit for himself and then straps up and goes into town on a bloody
rampage .
the
rampage
itself is actually handled pretty well . the problems come from lack of character development and from a sloppy ending . this isn ' t a movie that i would say is worth watching , but as far as mindless entertainment goes ; you could do much worse . i don ' t know if i like this movie or not , but i know i don ' t hate it . there ' s the whole moral factor that will certainly turn people off , but if you ' re willing to just accept that it ' s a movie , then that won ' t affect you as much .
sehr guter film , den man in einigen belangen sogar als einzigartig bezeichnen kann . absolut empfehlenswert in der uncut originalversion . die ( bundes ) deutsche dvd hat leider ein völlig anderes ende ist und ist stark geschnitten . 10 von 10 punkte : - )
if this film was made by someone with a bigger budget and better actors , i would probably have given it a 7 out of 10 , however the shaky cams and more realistic looking actors along with the true to life dialog instead of the hollywood designer wearing stars and 15 screenwriters dialog makes this more like a documentary camera crew following the main star rather than a make believe made for entertainment film - and that made me give it an 8 for realism and convincingness . yes it starts alittle slow , and yes it has abit of a happy ending ( sort of , depending on point of view lol ) but it looks and feels like its happening rather than a film made after the event , so it held my attention and had enough action to make me both like and recommend it . do not take my word for it though , watch it yourself , force self past the to some boring but necessary character intro beginning , and i will be surprised if like me you do not find yourself liking this gem of a film .
obviously , rampage 2 is coming out during a sensitive time in the u . s . , where there’s a mass shooting what seems like every goddamn week and gun laws refuse to change . don’t worry though , williamson addresses this too . despite being armed to the teeth , he believes in stricter gun laws and is repulsed by our chickenshit government’s inability to reform .
producer gabrielle dalton comments on the creative process : “this film could not have been made without george’s extraordinary risk taking and adventurous drive on location . he was truly audacious . the script evolved – as the production was begun on just a premise – ( a working method we have perfected as a team ) , and involved long discussions about what worked on screen , what was happening in pakistan ( and its implications ) , and how to integrate the story of gittoes interacting with the situations and characters , into the film’s front story .
in addition to its north american box office gross , friday the 13th earned over $ 9 . 5 million in foreign markets on its opening weekend . the film ' s biggest markets were the united kingdom , russia , italy , spain , and germany . friday the 13th took in approximately $ 1 . 7 million in both the united kingdom and russia , an estimated $ 1 . 1 million in spain , and $ 1 million in both italy and germany . according to paramount , this was the largest opening outside north america of any of the friday the 13th films . the film finished its north american box office run with $ 65 , 002 , 019 ; coupled with its earnings of $ 26 , 377 , 032 outside north america , the film has accumulated $ 91 , 379 , 051 worldwide .
in the third film , bill is shown to have directly began a new family after deserting his parents . he has fallen in love with a woman , crystal , who approves of his mass murders and anarchy , yet she is never as violent or psychotic as bill is .
while i agree strongly with many of williamson’s views on politics , consumerism , reality tv , etc . , i’m disgusted by his actions . is that what makes him such an interesting character ? he’s self - indulgent and completely lacks a conscious , but i can’t look away . that being said , i wouldn’t consider williamson an anti - hero as much as i would a delusional asshole . in rampage 2 , his psychopathy is amped up more than in the original . brendan fletcher’s performance ( like in the first film ) is the highlight . whether he’s boastfully talking directly into the camera or sitting quietly with an ar - 15 resting on his lap , the actor is hypnotizing .
saw this on the web last night and couldn ' t have been more impressed . everything about it was top notch which was a huge surprise considering it ' s a uwe boll film . brendan fletcher was absolutely excellent in the very difficult role of portraying a brutal mass murderer who also happens to be a very sympathetic character . at several points in the film , he reminded me of a young christian slater , the slater who used to pour everything he had into a role . kudos also to shaun sipos who , oddly enough , reminded me of a young brad pitt from twelve monkeys , especially in the chicken restaurant scene with fletcher . i hope both these guys get much more acting work as a result of what they accomplished in rampage . my only question is how on earth did uwe boll pull this brilliant movie out of his ass after a career full of crap i wouldn ' t want my worst enemy to have to watch ? in any event , this film , as shocking as it is , is a warning that the worst is yet to come . in fact , columbine and the virginia tech mass murders may soon pale in comparison to what the next
bill
ends up doing with a rage that can ' t be quenched .
the editor also became involved in this process . and in this way , the miscreants was ‘found as a film’ in the editing room . “ from early on , we knew that we would be making a film with a very new ‘look’ and a lot of humor built around the backblocks - bollywood style local movie makers of the nw frontier were using , but there was so much material , so many storylines – it was an extremely complex post production process . ” “the editor and i found ourselves as fascinated with the back story ( how gittoes got access to this world , his relationships with the actors ) as the front story .
films . ign ' s chris carle said aaron yoo stole the film with his comic timing and with his
memorable death
. carle said derek mears ' portrayal of jason adds more to the character than being simply a stuntman ; mears ' s subtle movements , athleticism , and physicality created an imposing image of jason .
now this is the part i find incredibly interesting . bill goes bat sh * t crazy . he blows up a police station and them embarks on a massive killing spree at a small local outdoor plaza . first , only someone like uwe boll would have the balls to shoot a sequence this violent in a big budget movie . it’s obviously something that could scare away buyers and big studios from ever releasing the film . second , i really want to commend boll on his use of violence . if you’ve seen his horrific seed , boll goes out of his way to punish the viewer . the flick opens with animals being tortured and within the first 15 minutes a baby is slammed against a pole in a bus . what i learned from seed is that boll is trying wayyyyy too hard to shock his audience . while in a film like rampage fletcher’s character could have easily splattered his victim’s brains against the wall , he doesn’t . in fact , there’s a scene where bill walks into a bingo hall for old folk , and while i expected an onslaught of dentures , it actually ends up being quite a charming moment .
“ it’s not 100 % coherent , and the acting can be painful at times ( with the exception of brendan fletcher , omg ) , but in the end dr . uwe boll has delivered a film that i can finally recommend . while it might not sit well with every viewer , most of you might actually enjoy this . “