Time to Upgrade The Predator

In 1987 the first Predator movie was released and spawned a scifi cult following spanning over 3 decades until today. The franchise comprise three movies with the fourth releasing next week in Malaysia on 13 September 2018. It also had two crossover AVP movies with the Alien franchise, another cult scifi series of that era. The Predator saga is further supplemented in other media by countless comic books, memorabilia, and video games forming a fairly expansive lore. Our geek intel here will recap on a few good-to-know facts about Predator to set context for this year's latest movie outing.

Predators are an extraterrestrial, i.e. alien, species of intelligent bipedals larger and much stronger than the average human. Whilst this alien species has not been named in films, lore from the expanded universe also refers to them as Yautja or Hish-Qu-Ten. An ancient and advanced civilisation, Predators travel the galaxy on their spaceships in search of other dangerous lifeforms to hunt for sport. Worthy prey defeated by Predators are skinned and/or decapitated with the skull & spine taken as trophies.

Like human, each Predator is unique with individual personalities and motivations. There are even sub-species (more about that later). Most Predators hunt separately, although occasionally deploying in small teams up. Their culture seems to dictate a similar assortment of gear and weapons on the hunt, such as bio-helmets, spear, wrist blades and shoulder mounted plasma casters. Their natural vision lies towards infrared spectrum, thereby able detect body heat from prey. Their advance tech also allows them to camouflage with the environment, becoming almost imperceptible to human eyes except for light distortion over its form. See this infographic below for more details on Yautja gadgets (source: geektyrant.com).

The first Predator movie released  in 1987 starred then action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role of Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer. Dutch together with Dillon, Mac, Billy, Blain, Poncho, and Hawkins form an elite special forces unit sent into the jungles of Central America on a rescue mission.

After overwhelming a camp to insurgents, the team proceeds to their extraction point with a guerilla captive, Anna. The team soon realise that they being stalked after Blain and Hawkins are killed by something with green luminescent blood. They set a traps around their camp site but fail to snare their stalker. In the process most of the team are slain except for Dutch and Anna.

The 30th Anniversary Trailer for Predator (1987) back in overseas cinemas last year for fan service.

Our hero then sends Anna away to confront the Jungle Predator one-on-one. The prey eventually outsmarts the hunter, trapping the injured Predator. Beaten by a worthy opponent, it activates a self-destruct and consumes the surrounding jungle in a massive explosion. That, of course, isn't enough to kill the future Governator and Dutch escape in the nick of time to the extraction point.

Oh and by the way, Hawkins as the first spec forces member to be killed is played by Shane Black, now Director of the upcoming movie!

Predator 2 was released 3 years later, this time with a new City Hunter based on Los Angeles of then near-future 1997. Arnie declined to return bringing Danny Glover into the lead role as veteran LA police department officer Lieutenant Michael "Mike" R. Harrigan. Casualties quickly mount amid a gang war between drug cartels as the Predator seeks a worthy adversary.

Now apparently Dutch's adventurers in Central America ten years back (in movie timeline) did not go unnoticed by the CIA where an Other Worldly Life Forms Program (OWLF) has been established to investigate Predator-related sightings. Led by Special Agent Keyes, OWLF sets a trap to capture the Predator but is outmaneuvered by the crafty alien with most of his team slaughtered. However Harrigan manages to severely wound the Predator by severing its forearm.

The Trophy Wall in the Predator spaceship contained the first inkling of a shared universe with Alien Xenomorphs. This moment was so epic in the franchise that an action figure diorama was recently released for it! (photo source: nerditis.com)

Harrigan tracks down the Predator to its spaceship and both dance the final duel. The City Hunter is narrow defeated by Harrigan using its own throwing disc to slice open its guts. In a final epic scene, a clan of Predators uncloak before Harrigan to retrieve their fallen comrade. As a sign of respect to Harrigan as a worthy warrior, the Elder Predator tosses him a vintage pistol from Earth 1715, hinting that the Yautja have been hunting mankind for centuries.

The epic ending unveiling the Predator clan!

Predator 2's box office performance in 1990 was underwhelming and the franchise took a long break until revived in 2004 with Alien Versus Predator (AVP) directed by Paul W.S. Andersen (now of Resident Evil fame). Reviews were mixed with some fans feeling the Predators on their rite of passage were not sufficiently bad@$$ to warrant a fair smackdown with the Xenomorphs. Anyway, the movie made enough money for a sequel Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (AVPR) in 2007. Reviews were mostly gruesomely negative as the increased level of gore with the movie nominated for Golden Raspberry awards in the fields of Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie and Worst Prequel or Sequel. AVPR did not win.

Come 2010, the third installment of the franchise and the fifth movie featuring the Yautja was released as Predators. Importing nothing from previous installments, the action now takes place on another planet where the most lethal killers of mankind are dumped to be prey. Taking the lead this time is Adrien Brody as Royce, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier turned mercenary.

In line with the title of this sequel, Predators features not one but three new extraterrestrial hunters. Furthermore they are a larger sub-species dubbed Super-Predators and identified individually as Tracker, Falconer and Berserker. Furthermore there appears to be a feud between the Supers and Classic Predators, of which one had been captured.

After the obligatory gruesome deaths of the hapless humans and two Super-Predators, Royce attempts to work with the captive Predator to escape the game reserve planet. Plans go awry as the remaining Berserker defeats the Classic Predator and destroys the spaceship before Royce could escape. In an epic one-on-one duel of man versus Predator akin to the original movie, Royce cleaves apart the Berserker and plots another way off the planet when new prey arrives.

One would think Predators should know better by now to leave humans alone, but... say hello next week to The Predator.

Official movie synopsis

From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. Now, the universe's most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.

The Predator stars Boyd Holbrook (Narcos), Olivia Munn (X-Men Apocalypse), Trevante Rhodes (12 Strong), Thomas Jane (The Expanse), Keegan-Michael Key, and Jacob Tremblay. As mentioned earlier, Shane Black (Iron Man 3) returns to the franchise after three decades now as Director.

The trailer pretty much sums out what to expect from The Predator, including a new “Ultimate Predator”. According to Director Shane Back, this new breed of Predator is more correctly referred to as the Upgrade. What this Predator has done is splice DNA from creatures they have hunted to grant superior traits and abilities. The Upgrade towers 10 feet tall and looks to have hardened skin such that it does not need to wear armour often used by the classic Predators. Abilities other than the standard Predator fit-out should be expected.

The Upgrade Predator, BIGGER and BADDER.

Also clearly present in the trailers is a classic Predator dubbed the Fugitive. No secret from the trailers, the Fugitive Predator seems to (finally) be captured by a human organisation that looks to be researching the creature and its technology. Tapping into the world established in Predator 2, this movie introduces the character of Sean Keyes (Jake Busey), the son of Peter Keyes from OWLF. Busey is in fact the real life son of Gary Busey who played Special Agent Keyes. Will this younger Keyes follow in his father's footsteps?

The other Predator in the movie, dubbed Fugitive, almost looks metrosexual in comparison to the new Upgrade.

Leading the ragtag band of ex-soldiers this time is Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook), a former U.S. Army Ranger who's son Rory (Jacob Tremblay) accidentally brings down the Predators to a small town. Among a testosterone-filled posse is school teacher Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn). Expect lots of bloody deaths so put your bets on who will survive this latest Predator outing.

Boyd Holbrook is Quinn McKenna, pitting his Army Ranger skills against the Predators. 

Place your bets which humans will survive this time around?

Here in Malaysia, “Predators” have been sighted recently at AEON shopping malls. But not to worry they are quite “friendly”... just ask nicely for selfies!

This Malaysian Predator clan looks ready to "burn rubber" on the roads!
(Source: 20th Century Fox Facebook)

This mini-sized Pred is kinda cute!
(Source: 20th Century Fox Facebook)

Catch them at these malls and check the respective Facebook Pages of each mall for appearance timing.

Yautja Pemangsa is an extraterrestrial species that travel around planets to hunt dangerous lifeforms. After making a kill they typically skin or decapitate the carcass, converting it into a trophy.
(Source: Fusion Wayang Kulit Facebook)

Blending traditional arts with modern pop culture, the folks at Fusion Wayang Kulit have created a localised version of the Predator named Yautja Pemangsa.

Merdeka Special | Meet our Wayang Kulit Predator
To celebrate Malaysia's 61 years of Independence, we have hunted down local Malaysians with unique talents up their sleeves! Meet the talented team at Fusion Wayang Kulit! Fueled with a passion to revive the wayang kulit scene, they infuse popular culture into the making of their wayang kulit characters. Check out how they came up with a Predator-inspired character! #SayangiMalaysiaKu2018 #ThePredatorMY
Posted by 20th Century Fox on Thursday, 30 August 2018

To stay tuned to upcoming performances, follow Fusion Wayang Kulit on Facebook.

Noting that Yautja prefer hot and humid climates to hunt, our Malaysian tropical weather do seem ideal for Predator vacations. So indeed here's our very own Malaysian Predator:

Merdeka Special | Meet The Malaysian Predator
Keeping up with the #SayangiMalaysiaKu pride, let's continue to celebrate patriotism with THE PREDATOR twist. We hunted down a true Predator Fan, Cikgu Ayie www.facebook.com/PreBrushArt with a passion on creating the most realistic Predator costume. Ugaiz have to check this out! #ThePredatorMY
Posted by 20th Century Fox on Thursday, 6 September 2018

Hardcore fan Cikgu Ayie spent years developing his Predator costume to be movie accurate and certainly makes a memorable presence when appearance at the local cosplay scene. Find him on Facebook as Pre brush Art.

Malaysia's Movie Premiere for The Predator took place on 12 September 2018 at TGV Sunway Pyramid and thanks to 20th Century Fox, we could invite local Yautja clan members to join the Fan Screening that night.

Samurai and Berserker Predators with human marines.

Cikgu Ayie's Jungle Predator (far left) with Berserker (middle) and Samurai Predator.

Tintoy Chou (centre) of Fusion Wayang Kulit displaying the Yautja Pemangsa shadow puppet with "lifesize" counterparts.

Malaysia's Predator Biker gather for photo ops. There's clearly a Star Wars fans amongst the clan.

Some action before the movie screening as Samurai and Berserker Predators battle a trio of human soldiers.

[CONTEST CLOSED - THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING]
Thanks for 20th Century Fox, we have five (5) pairs of invites to an exclusive Fan Screening of The Predator on Wednesday 12 September, 9pm at TGV Sunway Pyramid. Follow the steps below for the chance to win:
1. React (Like, Love, Wow, etc.) to this post on our Facebook Page.
2. Share the same post onto your Timeline, setting privacy to Public.
3. Comment in the same post on "why you are the BIGGEST Predator fan in Malaysia" within 100 words (photos permitted).

Make sure your entries reach us by Sunday 9 September, 11.59pm.

TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
1. Participation only for residents in Malaysia ages 18 years & above able to attend the Fan Screening. If you are unable to attend please do not participate and potential derive a fan of the opportunity.
2. Only 1 entry per person. Multiple entries will forfeit all entries.
3. Selection of winners will be based on most creative submissions in Comments.
4. Contest closes on Sunday 9 September 2018, 11.59pm. Submissions thereafter will not be eligible.
5. Winners will be contacted via Message by or before Tuesday 11 September 2018. It is the contest participants' own responsibility to lookout for the said Message and respond accordingly to the redemption instructions given.
6. Invites / tickets to be collected in person at the cinema foyer of TGV Sunway Pyramid from 8pm onwards. Winnings are forfeit if not collected by 9.00pm.
7. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by or associated with Facebook.
8. We reserve the right to revise these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice.

The Predator opens in cinemas nationwide on 13 September.
#ThePredatorMY
#OutpostGiveaway

Disclaimer: Predator and other trademarks are copyright 20th Century Fox, referenced here for fan service engagements without intent to infringe.

Top 10 Geek Pop Culture Movies of 2017 with Honorable Mentions plus Dishonorable Ones

As the year begins, it is usually the off-season for major movie releases with some of the December blockbusters trailing off the festive holiday season and a few mid-budget offerings. So this is a good time to reflect on last year's movies to revisit those geek pop culture titles that sent shudders through our geekiness. These geek movies need not have broken box office records but certainly made their presence felt amongst various fandoms.

Our resident Vulcan cultural observer Mr Smock together with The Captain of Pop Culture FUN - Malaysia share their selection of Top 10 Geek Pop Culture movies of 2017 released in tropical Malaysia; listed below in no intended order:

Logan, the final chapter in the Wolverine Trilogy. of the X-Men franchise.
20th Century Fox.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2.
Marvel Studios (Disney).

Spider-man Homecoming joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Sony Pictures.

Marvel's Thor Ragnarok.
Marvel Studios (Disney).

  

Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi.
Lucasfilm (Disney)

Wonder Woman.
Warner Bros Pictures.

Justice League, finally the DCEU unites.
Warner Bros Pictures.

Blade Runner 2049, a sequel 35 years in the making.
Sony Pictures.

Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle, a sequel 22 years in the making.
Sony Pictures.

Kong Skull Island.
Warner Bros Pictures.

Listen to Mr Smock and The Captain explain their movie choices on our YouTube channel MySciFiFanOutpost in this video:

These movies are certainly must-watch for geeks so take the opportunity during this off-season to catch these titles that you may have missed at the cinemas; some are still showing whilst others are already available in DVD / Blu-Ray, pay-TV, and on-demand video streaming services.

There were certainly many other geek movies released in 2017 so these comprise 10 Honorable Mentions by our reviewer duo; also listed in not intended order:

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge / Dead Men Tell No Tales (Disney).

Fast & Furious 8 / Fast 8 / Fate of the Furious (United International Pictures).

War for the Planet of the Apes. Kingsman The Golden Circle (20th Century Fox).

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Rainfilm).

Ghost in the Shell (United International Pictures).

The Dark Tower. Arrival. (Sony Pictures)

Power Rangers (TGV Pictures).

LEGO Batman Movie (Warner Bros Pictures).

Whilst these movies may not fall under the "must-watch" classification as per the Top 10 list, they are still recommended entertainment that the geek community should check out, especially whilst the cinema is devoid of equivalent offerings at this time. Here is Mr Smock and The Captain share on why these titles deserve Honorable Mentions:

Local movie tidbits: Fast 8 and Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle rank in the Top Five All-Time Highest Grossing Movies in Malaysia, both starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the same year. Plus Malaysia's Highest Grossing Movie ever is Furious 7 in 2015, also starring Dwayne Johnson! Malaysians just can't get enough of Mr. Johnson.

Along with the good, there are certainly the bad offerings of 2017. These few titles are labelled Dishonorable Mentions in such that they are a disservice to their respective franchises. In their third and final part video, Mr Smock and The Captain explains on their Dishonorable Mentions not worth the cinema ticket:

Thank you for reading and we trust fellow geeks will find this movie list plus video reviews useful for an informed decision. Stay tuned here on our Blog as well as our YouTube Channel MySciFiFanOutpost for the Top 10 Must-Watch Geek Movies of 2018.

Peace and Long Life.

Live Long & Prosper.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by reviewers are not representative as official positions of Outpost Productions regarding the subject matter.

Produced for almost MYR1 billion, each planet in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets costs a cool Million!

In the year 1975, the last American Apollo rocket and the Soviet Soyuz 19 capsule docked in orbit around Earth for a project called Alpha. Around the year 2000, 16 nations worked together to build the International Space Station (ISS). Later in 2045, ISS was renamed back to Alpha. In 2099, a communication satellite named Omega made first contact with an extraterrestrial species. The first extraterrestrial ship docks with Alpha in 2135. In the centuries to come, more and more extraterrestrial species have joined to built their habitats on Alpha. Welcome to Alpha, the city of a thousand planets.

Official Synopsis:

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 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 is directed by Luc Besson (The Professional, The Fifth Element, La Femme Nikita, Lucy). Starring Dane Dehaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Chronicle) as Major Valerian and Cara Delevingne (Suicide Squad, Paper Towns) as Sergeant Laureline. Alongside them is an accomplished troupe of performers. Clive Owen (Children of Men, television’s “The Knick”) as Commander Arün Filitt, Ethan Hawke (The Purge, Training Day) as Jolly the Pimp, John Goodman (Atomic Blonde, 10 Cloverfield Lane) as the voice of Igon Siruss, Kris Wu (XXX: Return of Xander Cage, Journey To the West: The Demons Strike Back) as Captain Neza, Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Batman Begins) as President of the World State Federation and Herbie Hancock (Oscar® and Grammy®-award winning composer) as Defense Minister. Making her fantasy film debut is global pop sensation Rihanna as Bubble.

Valerian (left) and Laureline with Director Luc Besson (centre)

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is based on the French sci-fi comic series called "Valerian and Laureline", originally called "Valerian - Spatiotemporal Agent", created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières. This series was first published in "Pilote" magazine in 1967. The final installment was published in 2010. It was a space opera with time travel plots. It has been compiled into a 21 volume graphic novel, with a short story collection and an encyclopedia. An animated television series called "Time Jam: Valerian and Laureline" was released in 2007. And now it has been adapted to the feature film format with the title Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Specifically, the movie is based on the 6th volume of the comic series titled "Ambassador of the Shadows". While Alpha is not in the comics, it is inspired by Point Central, a space station of a thousand planets; A home to many extraterrestrial species and a center for intergalactic trade; An ever expanding metropolis where species all over the universe have gathered together over centuries to share their knowledge, intelligence and cultures. Valerian and Laureline were in charge of maintaining order throughout the human habitats. A dark force threatens the peaceful existence of Alpha and the duo has to identify the menace, protect Alpha and safeguard the future of the universe.

Scenes in Star Wars inspired by Valerian comics

For decades, "Valerian and Laureline" has influenced the sci-fi genre in many ways. You can see traces of the comic in Conan the Barbarian (although its not acually sci-fi), Independence Day and Star Wars to name a few. Let's take Star Wars since there are very profound similarities. A well-known Han Solo scene in "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980 is similar to the scene where Valerian was encased in liquid plastic in the issue "The Empire of a Thousand Planets" released in 1971. Leia's slave girl outfit in "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" is similar to Laureline's slave girl outfit in the issue "World Without Star" released in 1972. And Jabba the Hut's palace also seems similar to a setting in the issue "The Empire of a Thousand Planets". Besson's "Fifth Element" was also heavily influenced by "Valerian and Laureline", with Jean-Claude Mézières providing the concept art for the movie. This is something to keep in mind if you see something familiar or have a feeling of déjà vu when watching Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

When director Luc Besson was 10 years old, he found a magazine called "Pilote". Inside it he discovered the comic series "Valerian and Laureline" and instantly fell in love with it. This pair of sci-fi heroes have long fascinated generations of European children. They didn't have capes or superhuman abilities or machoistic elements. Valerian and Laureline were more like two normal cops, but they were in the weird and amazing 28th century. They were thinking liberal humanists with a green conscience. Cerebral shoot-'em-up heroes.

Major Valerian and Sergeant Laureline are two young agents working for the Spatio-Temporal Service, a source of law and order in the 28th century. Valerian always follows orders and is straight-edged, while Laureline is an independent free-spirited rebel. In the age of instant space-time travel, their mission is to patrol both history and the universe. They travel in a XB982, the B model of the Spatio-Temporal ships that can go back to 30 centuries in average and can go up to 1000 million light-years in time. Agents can go to the past with authorization, but not to the future. But unfortunately we won't see time-travel play in this movie because Besson has mentioned the movie is already complex enough without time-travel. Besson has hinted time-travel may play a role in a sequel if it were to be made.

Valerian (above) is a native of Galaxity, the capital of the Terran empire, and joined the Spatio-Temporal Service in the year 2713. He has been trained to think that Galaxity is always right even when his orders go against his morals. He is a man of action, has a sixth sense for tactics and is a brave warrior. Valerian met Laureline during a mission to 11th century France where she lived as a peasant. Laureline saved Valerian's life but accidentally discovers Valerian is a time-traveller. Valerian is forced to bring her to the 28th century. Laureline was trained to become a Spatio-Temporal agent and assigned to be Valerian's partner.

Laureline (above) is a redheaded female agent in the comics, but is a blonde in the movie. She has innate intelligence matched by her steely determination and impressive strength. “It was the 1970s, and it was the first time we saw this modern girl kicking ass,” Besson shares. Laureline was brave, kind, and always outsmarting her enemies. This was long before Hollywood discovered female empowerment.

Pop music artist Rihanna as shape-shifter Bubble.

Fans of Rihanna, a multi-platinum global pop star and rebellious fashion icon, will be delighted to know that she was Besson's first choice to play Bubble, the shape-shapeshifting "glampod". And she accepted straight away because she interested in tackling her first film role in the fantasy genre. She told Besson "I'm a beginner at acting and unless I work with someone who is good, I won't learn." Such honesty from a superstar! Besson explains "In our film, glampods are artists who've gone to school, so they know masters such as Shakespeare, Molière and Rimbaud, by heart. In that way, Bubble is the ultimate actress." Thus playing the role of Bubble is a very tall order. Just don't expect Rihanna to be singing or have a song in the movie. Besson specifically mentioned she wants her only as an actor.

K-Tron, security droid for Commander Arün Filitt. 

In the movie, fans of the comic series will see familiar faces come to life. Valerian and Laureline, The Spatio-Temporal Service, K-tron (those expensive ruthlessly efficient combat androids), Melo (a rainbow-colored pet lizard) and the many varied extraterrestrial species. Among those species, from the trailers, we can see some notable ones will appear in the movie: the Kortan Dahuk, the Khodar'Khan, the aquatic Marmaka, the Kamuniks, the Omelite, the Doghan Daguiz in the form of The Shingouz (a trio of information brokers) and the Pearls.

The Shingquoz are information brokers from an alien species called Doghan Daguiz.

This the most expensive independent European production ever. Luc Besson initially thought it was impossible to make, but he started write a script after he finished "The Fifth Element". Still the technology was not available to make such a movie... until "Avatar". Besson then saw that he could do everything. "Avatar" proved that imagination is the only limit. Then he threw away his script because he thought it was not good enough. James Cameron pushed the levels too high, so Besson wrote a new script.

Writer-Director Luc Besson on the set of Valerian.

"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" took Besson 7 years to conceive, purportedly €197 million / RM0.975 billion to produce, and almost 2 years to edit. With those numbers, it is remarkable that the number of major studios involved is zero. America has not heard much about the Valerian comics, so Hollywood would be very hesitant to invest in a movie about the comics. Besson needed his own film studio. With his success with a string of TV and film projects that he wrote and produced, Besson started EuropaCorp to distribute his movies in France without any help from an outside distributor. With an established portfolio and his own studio ready, he took his script and sketches to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival three years ago with hopes of securing funding for the project. Besson secured 90 percent of the funding in one day.

Creators of Valerian Pierre Christin Jean-Claude Mézières with Luc Besson (centre).

So here's what we get for a production of almost RM1 billion:

"A movie that offers more things to see in every frame than you can find in some entire franchises."

David Ehrlich, IndieWire.

Well actually the real cost might be around 150 million reported by Forbes recently. What currency the costs is quoting in this article is not very clear. Whether Euro or US dollars it's still a massive amount when converted to over MYR 0.5 million per minute of film for it's 137 minute run time.

The official movie tie-in mobile game, Valerian: City of Alpha.

There is already mobile game movie tie-in out now for Android and iOS. This game has more extraterrestrial species from the comics than can be seen in the movie and is still improving. For more information, check out the official Valerian game website.

The official boardgame Valerian: The Alpha Missions coming out soon from Ultra Pro.

For tabletop gaming fans, Ultra Pro will release Valeran: The Alpha Missions in August, the first game under its license for games. Valerian: The Alpha Missions is a cooperative game where teams of agents go on a series of missions to explore the city and collectively decide to work together or split up to complete mission objectives. Intended for 2 to 4 players, ages 11 and up, each mission takes about 30 minutes to play.

Find Valerian's Skyjet at Pavilion KL, level 3, Fashion Avenue.

The Lexus Skyjet, pre-order now for delivery in the 28th Century!

At Pavilion KL there is a display of the Skyjet seen in the movie, provided by Lexus. Apparently Lexus and the Valerian creative team came up with the design of this single-seat pursuit craft. For more information, check out the official Lexus Malaysia website.

The Outpost Movie Recon Team (M.R.T.) has discovered some means to win some Valerian bounty. GSC Cinemas have 2 contests for you to win exclusive merchandise. The first one is on video at their Facebook page which ends this weekend on 23 July.

The second contest is on their website with more goodies, including an iPhone 7 Plus Special Edition. Just take a photo on a Valerian standee in any of the listed GSC cineplexes then post it to Instagram with hashtag #GSCvalerian. To see the prizes and other terms and condition head over to the GSC website.

UPDATE (21/7): The Outpost Movie Recon Team (M.R.T.) has 2 more contests to win Valerian merchandises. Honestly these 2 new contests will be blow your mind away.

mmCineplexes is running a Facebook contest which includes an exclusive tumbler. Like/react, answer a question, comment and tag 3 friends, and share the post for a chance to win something. Contest ends on 2 August 2017.

TGV Cinemas' contest has very surprising prizes. The Grand Prize includes, among other great items, a trip to Boracay, Phillipines for two! And the Second Prize includes, among other great items as well, a Samsung Gear VR with Controller! Contest ends on 03 August 2017.

A childhood fantasy coming to life, an epic sci-fi series that influenced the entire genre, a vision a lifetime in the making.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Cities will be in Malaysian cinemas on 20 July 2017 with this year coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of Valerian first published in 1967.

The official Twitter account of the movie is @ValerianMovie.

Disclaimer: Valerian & Laureline, Valerian & The City of a Thousand Planets and other trademarks are copyright to series creators  Pierre Christin & Jean-Claude Mézières and/or EuropaCorp, referenced here for fan service engagements without intent to infringe. Valerian & The City of a Thousand Planets is distributed in Malaysian by Rainfilms.