In the 23rd century, Korben Dallas (Willis), an ex-army major turned cab driver, unwittingly becomes part of a fight to protect Earth from an approaching evil after a strange woman named Leeloo (Jovovich) accidentally falls into his cab.
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A while back, Luc Besson, known for films like La Femme Nikita and Léon: The Professional, directed a big budget action flick called The Fifth Element. With Bruce Willis as the leading man, would this film measure up to the critical acclaim of Luc’s previous films, or had he sold his soul to Hollywood for fame and fortune?
The cast were all actually pretty good in The Fifth Element. None of the performances are that deep, but they all keep the fun going Bruce Willis channels his Die Hard persona during the big action sequences, but also keeps in tune with the zaniness around him the rest of the time. Milla Jovovich (who would go on to more fame with Resident Evil) manages to do a good job and provides more than just eye candy in her first starring role. Ian Holm’s priest is a bit out of touch (but that works for his character) while Gary Oldman channels his full crazy into a character so over-the-top he fits right in. Chris Tucker uses his motormouth (from films like Rush Hour) to full effect here as well, turning his DJ into the personification of the film’s zany fast pace.
With a fashion designer as the costume designer, the viewer already knew the film was going to be something unique. The Fifth Element takes it to the extreme, with the film’s zany antics occurring in almost every scene. Like Chris Tucker’s DJ Ruby Rhod, the film doesn’t pause for breath, flying at the viewers so fast it’s hard to catch all the craziness the first go around. Even the diva song, which is supposed to give viewers a chance to take a breath becomes a rock opera that’s as entertaining as the rest of this colorful film.
The special effects are on point as well. While this may have been a 90’s flick, the effects feel as vivid and spot on even now, all these years later. Again, like the diva’s rock opera, the viewer is initially fooled by the clunkiness of the aliens in the beginning of the film. Still, the ship they come in looks good, and those clunky aliens are just a tease – the special effects are solid throughout the film.
With its massive amounts of flashy set design, viewers could be forgiven if they were expecting the storyline to be pretty weak. Thankfully, even though the story is pretty simplistic, it doesn’t get overwhelmed by all that flash. Instead, oddly, the flashy set pieces and crazy costumes just make The Fifth Element one of the more colorful sci-fi flicks out there.
It’s easy to see why The Fifth Element has developed cult film status. Its glitz and over-the-top fast pace may not be for everyone. But, for those that stick around, its got lots of action, some solid acting, and loads of unexpected humor that’ll keep most very entertained. It’s a far cry from Luc Besson’s previous films, but in this case, that is perfectly okay.
