10 Incredible Scenes From Mediocre Movies
6. That Unforgettable Opening - Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets
Luc Besson's $200 million sci-fi flop Valerian & the City of a Thousand Planets was nothing if not ambitious, though ultimately stumbled due to the dubious casting of Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevinge as the focal plucky heroes.
Yet the film kicked off in goosebump-raising fashion, not-so-coincidentally minus DeHaan and Delevingne, with a montage chronicling the advancement of the International Space Station (later the Intergalactic Space Station) over the centuries.
Ingeniously set to David Bowie's anthemic "Space Oddity," the montage spans several hundred years from 1975 onwards, optimistically depicting human progress as astronauts from different countries meet aboard the station, and later, make contact with many alien species.
Between the jaw-dropping production values, inspired use of Bowie, and refreshing optimism about humanity's future, it's a scene primed to make your heart soar.
It's just a shame the movie settles into a more familiar sci-fi action-adventure groove after this, because those opening five minutes feel like they belong in a bonafide classic.