An Entertaining Film as a Satirical Romp

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2001)

This film is like some futuristic Candide. Murphy's Law is at work around every corner, even the villain gets his due by a flub of fate. Besson is having fun with our pretensions and the visual set piece is the concert with the fabulous blue Diva and her Windex colored blood. The action scenes are even a send up of all the action scenes we've ever been exposed to in cinema. The story is not the important element(sic), it's an excuse for the trappings and the flamboyant visual style of Bresson. Some judicious editing could have tightened up the action but I can rather understand why some reduntive scenes were left in because of the bravura imagery. If you are receptive to it, you are bowled over by the spectacular visualization of the future and the sly comedy. If you are not, it is just a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. But, if you are not into being adultish and are not prejudiced to the genre of space opera, this is a lot of fun to watch.