In 2017, when I first caught wind of “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”, I was intrigued. Directed by Luc Besson, the visionary behind films like The Fifth Element and Leon: The Professional, this sci-fi epic was hyped as something groundbreaking. With a staggering production budget of nearly $200 million, it wasn’t just Europe’s most expensive film—it was one of the priciest movies ever made. The buzz was palpable. But despite the high expectations, the film’s reception became a different story altogether.