Luc Besson's new blockbuster, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, is based on a fantastic and highly influential French graphic novel series Valerian and Laureline. But what I like most about Valerian isn't the creativity and humor of its characters, the originality of its alien worlds, or even its inventive, bold artwork. Nope. Today on Out of Frame, I want to talk about Valerian's ideas.
Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz is one the greatest comedy films ever made. Not only is it a brilliant send-up of classic action movies and a masterwork of writing, editing, and visual humor, it is also an incredible satirical look at what happens when some people decide they know what's best for everyone and justify their actions in the name of the “greater good."
As a result, the film raises a question few people ever stop to seriously ask: What is "the Greater Good"? It sounds like such an intuitive idea, but it's not really that simple.
