The Fifth Element (1997)

Truly Dreadful Film

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The acting in this movie is really good.

So I waited 21 years to write this to let it all sink in. ;) This may just be my favorite go-to film of all time. Yeah, it's not CItizen Kane, or the Godfather, but, for me, it has all the elements, ha ha, I love. Adventure, humor, science fiction, fantasy... Luc Besson has directed some of my favorite films, and his vision of this one is just amazing. As is the casting. Bruce Willis as Korben Dalls is at his prime here, a wise-ass cab driver who unwittingly has to save the world. How can anyone NOT be in love with Milla Jovovich as Leeloo? Gary Oldman is splendid as yet another psycho and ... is Chris Tucker playing... Prince? Well, RIP purple one, let's not even go there. But he's hysterically obnoxious. No need for me to get any more in-depth. Just watch the film-if you don't absolutely love it ... well, you're not the sort of person I'd hang out with. Multipass.

I think this is the best movie I have ever seen. I love how an action packed thriller becomes a love story. I am a sucker for love stories, and action, so this particular movie hit every spot in my soul. I love the Fifth Element, I am now on the search for a supreme being to fall in love with me! Ha Ha, wouldn't that be great!

The first time I tried to watch this movie, I couldn't even sit through the whole thing. I think I gave up not long after Chris Tucker's ultra-flamboyant character appeared and overwhelmed the movie.But recently it was on one of the free cable channels that show uncut, commercial-free movies, so I gave it another chance. I think a big part of my initial negative reaction was due to the original trailers and commercials for the movie, which totally misrepresented what it was. The ads made it seem like an epic sci-fi adventure movie with lots of action and attractive women. Well, it does have attractive women. And some action towards the end.But this isn't really a sci-fi movie at all. It's set in the future and borrows some visual elements from other sci-fi films (I have to admit that apart from some cheesy effects and costumes, the movie looks pretty amazing), but this is purely a cartoony, campy, over-the-top comic book brought to life. If you're going to watch it, don't take any of the characters or the plot lines seriously and you'll have a much better time.That said, this just isn't a very good movie. Or maybe it's just not what I was expecting and not to my tastes. At any rate, a second viewing 20 years later didn't really improve my opinion of the film very much.

Luc Besson created a wild futuristic universe two decades ago that was fun with a solid good vs. evil story. When a hidden weapon is found amidst the pyramids before the start of the World Wars, an alien race flies down to retrieve it and starts an order of priesthoods that would pass the knowledge down of a holy weapon to fight evil. In the very colorful future, Corbin Dallas (Bruce Willis) drives a taxi having given up his life as a fighter pilot. Absolute evil takes the form of a growing black ball that destroys military spaceships. As the priest, Father Vito Cornelius (Ian Holm) awaits of the fifth element with President Lindberg (Tommy Lister), Jean-Baptist Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) sends shape-shifting aliens called Mangalores to shoot down the ship and retrieve the four elemental stones. The only survivor of the crash is recreated in a Neurolab into Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) and she breaks out. Her escape sends her crashing down into Corbin's taxi that leads to a wild flying car chase that holds well with special effects these twenty years later.Zorg is angry when he finds the case empty without any stones and tricks the aliens into blowing themselves up with some crazy rifle. Corbin brings Leeloo to Cornelius who helps decipher Leeloo's language that the stones are hidden with an opera singer on a paradise cruise off the planet. Zorg summons Cornelius to find out where the stones are but his bargaining does not go as planned. The evil blob calls Zorg ordering him to find the stones. Corbin finds out he is fired as he finds out he is being recruited for a mission to go to Fhloston Paradise. Unfortunately, Cornelius and Leeloo show up and then the police. The police capture his neighbor but the aliens steal the captive neighbor. Cornelius knocks Corbin over the head stealing the cruise ticket. Corbin accepts the mission and meets David (Charlie Creed-Miles) and Leeloo there, getting aboard.Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com