First, one must consider the subject of the search: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017). The film is a polarizing enigma in modern cinema. Directed by Luc Besson, it is based on a seminal French comic series that inspired a generation of sci-fi, including Star Wars . The film is renowned for its sumptuous visual effects, vibrant world-building, and the sprawling metropolis of Alpha. However, it was a notorious box office flop in the United States, though it fared better internationally.