‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’
Luc Besson’s sci-fi romp (yes! a romp!) starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as a pair of romantically entangled space cops is quite unexpectedly the best time you’re gonna have this weekend. Besson’s breathtaking space visions veer from grand to silly and back again, but it’s always very watchable. Liberated from any kind of deep overarching mythologies (no Chosen Ones; no dynasties), Valerian is free to bop across the galaxy, meet new creatures, and thrill its audiences. Oh, and Rihanna shows up as a shape-shifting burlesque dancer named Bubble. And now you’re watching it.