"Expensive and impressively, colorfully designed, this sci-fi/action movie is frequently silly and not always very smart, but it has a joyous exuberance and a sheer, dizzy love of the genre"

- Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

Swinburne Media and Communications and Lido Cinemas invite you to their collaboration Film Club to discuss the new release film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets on Wednesday, August the 17th. 

You might know director Luc Besson for his iconic works The Fifth Element, Léon the Professional, Nikita - though, if we're real about it, he was also responsible for 2014's Lucy and the Arthur and the Invisibles trilogy. The decorated French director has returned with Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, a film based on the comics he read as a child and dreamed of making throughout his time working on The Fifth Element.

In the universe of Valerian, it is the 28th century and special operatives Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are tasked to maintain order throughout the human territories of what is a sprawling and diverse utopian city. When a dark force threatens the peaceful city, Valerian and Laureline must race against time to identify the menace that also jeopardizes the future of the universe.

The film has had conflicting responses - there is talk of legitimate romance story line, successful world building, and inventive use of special effects, but other reviews have criticised the film for plot holes, a heavy reliance on special effects, and for its ambition that it apparently can't keep up with. 

If the latter is the case, then what went wrong? How can we compare the Incredibly successful Fifth Element with Besson's most recent work? How has the world of sci-fi changed and how has that changed its audience? 

Come along next Wednesday to share what you think.

You can find the trailer for Valerian here

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

Swinburne Students $9
Adult $21/ Concession $17/ Adult Member $16/ Concession Member $16

The discussion afterwards is free and open for all who would like to contribute.

Find tickets here

FILM CLUB is a collaborative social initiative between Swinburne University's Media and Communications Department and Lido Cinemas to encourage an active discussion around film among a diverse audience. The discussions will all be inclusive, relaxed, and fairly colloquial. To join in on the conversation you don't need a degree or even a strong response to the film. Come along to simply share your ideas.

All are welcome to participate in the discussion that will be hosted in Lidos Jazz Room after the screening of the film.

Film Club is a safe and comfortable space for people of all races, classes, sexual orientation, and gender. Attendees are expected to treat each other with this in mind.

This week's discussion will be led by Dr Liam Burke. Liam Burke is the coordinator of the Cinema and Screen Studies Major at Swinburne University of Technology, where he also teaches Screen Studies, Screen Franchising and Innovation, and Graphic Narratives: Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga. Liam has written and edited a number of books on comic books and cinema including Superhero Movies, Fan Phenomena Batman, and The Comic Book Film Adaptation: Exploring Modern Hollywood’s Leading Genre. Liam is a chief investigator on the Superheroes & Me research project with the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). Liam recently directed the documentary short film @HOME, which was screened at a number of international film festivals and was broadcast on Irish television.

Save the date! The Film Club forecast is looking like;
September Film Club - TBC (Have a suggestion? Let us know!)
October Film Club - Blade Runner 2049, Wednesday the 11th

Would you like to suggest a title? Any other questions or comments?
Email Juanita at groupbookings@lidocinemas.com.au

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