“Leeloodallasmutlipass.”
You can boil science fiction films down into essentially two categories: those concerned with ideas, and those concerned with world-building. It used to not always be that way - there was a time where the two went hand-in-hand, where it was possible to stage big ideas against the backdrop of fascinating world. But post-Star Wars, more often than not true sci-fi gets shoved off to the sideline in favor of spectacular, effects-laden junk. Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element wants to call back to that earlier era where big ideas and goofy, pulpy fun meet in the middle. And while the ideas present really aren’t all that original or compelling, Besson here crafts a complete and total world that rivals the likes of Metropolis and Blade Runner.
The film opens in 1914, at a dig site in Egypt. Two archaeologists are met by an ancient alien race, who have come to Earth to take the five elements (fire, water, air, earth and an unidentified fifth) and place them under their safekeeping, as they are prophesied to stop a great evil that comes along every 5,000 years. Flash-forward 300 years into Earth’s future, and the 5,000 year mark is up. The great evil manifests itself as a giant, shadowy planet, and the only hope in saving the universe is retrieving all five elements. The mysterious fifth element has manifested itself in a young woman - Leeloo, the “Supreme Being.” She quite literally falls into the lap of Special Forces officer-turned-cab driver Korben Dallas, and the two of them set about to save the known universe by finding the remaining four elements.
The story ultimately doesn’t make a lick of sense. The film never develops the “great evil” as anything other than its moniker - it’s really big and really evil - and we also never learn why the five elements together form a weapon to beat it (What exactly is the fifth element? Humanity? Love? And what in the holy hell does that have to do with fire, water, earth and air?) But all of that doesn’t really matter. It’s clear that Besson threw down whatever nonsense he could come up with merely as a clothesline to string together the effects and scenes and scenery that he was itching to portray. Since the world he came up with is so rich and detailed, The Fifth Element works fantastically in spite of it’s nonsensical nature, thanks to Besson’s style and a great cast of able performers.
Bruce Willis plays Korben Dallas with the same world-weariness that made John McClane a household name. But it’s not all action hero posturing for Willis this time out, as the actor gets a chance to flex his comedic muscles in several scenes. Dallas is a great character to follow through a movie like this, and with Willis at the helm we get an actor who can pick up the dramatic slack in the elements of the script which were supposed to be more “serious.” Milla Jovovich plays the Supreme Being Leeloo in a star-making turn (although more for the ACE bandage costume than anything else), and she brings a sort of adorable weirdness to the part, evolving over the course of the film from childlike to warrior woman. Again, we never really learn what being the ’Supreme Being” actually means, but Jovovich plays it well, regardless.
Besson gets some reliable British talent to fill out the other main roles, most especially Gary Oldman as the heavy Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg. Horrid accent aside, Oldman plays his role dialed up even from his earlier collaboration with Besson in Leon (which is saying something) - one of those roles that shows just why Gary Oldman was the #1 cinematic go-to villain of the nineties. The only disappointment in Oldman’s character is the way he leaves the movie right before it ends - he should have been a much larger part of the climax (we also never really figure out his connection to the great evil, but at this point you probably oculd've guessed that). Equally great is Ian Holm as Father Vitus Cornelius, a member of a sect of priests charged with safeguarding the original tomb where the five elements were stored. Holm plays the role both deadly serious and hilariously ineffectual, deftly changing tones through mounds of expository dialogue in the way that only a classically-trained British actor could. Rounding out the cast is Chris Tucker as radio celebrity Ruby Rohd, and while his motor-mouthed performance (and funky hairdos) add much to the detail of the world at large, he’s far too grating to be as involved in the overall movie as he winds up being.
As great as the cast is, the real star of the film is Besson’s overall style. The director is a visionary in the truest sense of the word. From a sweeping flying car chase through the futuristic New York cityscape to a showdown at an opera aboard a luxury liner spaceship, Besson crafts an imaginative landscape to stage set-pieces that constantly outdo the one that came before. Also helping to distinguish itself from the mounds of sci-fi dreck from the same period is the film’s sense of humor - Besson never takes himself or the world he’s created too seriously (and how could he, when he casts Tiny Lister as President of the World?), and his absurd sense of humor gives The Fifth Element a personality all its own. The effects work all around is top-notch, coming from an era in filmmaking where CGI was pushing the boundaries of what was possible, while still not completely overtaking the good old-fashioned prosthetics and model work that still hold up remarkably well. The mistake of the modern blockbuster has been to CG everything, while a blend of old tricks with the new is always, always the most convincing in effects work.
It doesn’t make a lick of sense, but that doesn’t really matter - The Fifth Element is an absolute blast of pure, imaginative fun.
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