Brilliantly over the top

Rating: 9/10 (21 April 2003)

"The Fifth Element" is a brilliantly overdone SF action extravaganza. It rips off probably just about every other SF movie ever made, while at the same time throwing in a lot of nonsense of its own (the floating Japanese restaurant boat still has me laughing out loud) and somehow molding all of this into a two-hour rollercoaster ride that leaves you with the feeling "wow, how on earth did they manage to put all of that into two hours".

The strength of this movie is that it doesn't take itself seriously for one moment. Sure, the story deals with the destruction of the earth and there's violence and death everywhere. But it's all cartoon violence: it's so overdone that you can't possibly take it all seriously. Add to this a host of completely over-the top characters, like a crazed game show host, a super-clumsy acolyte, a priest that looks a lot like Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a bad guy that takes sardonic laughter and over-the-top acting to a new level, and you know your in for a treat. And to top it all off, there's Bruce Willis who seems to be approaching this movie as "Die Hard meets Star Wars".

Like Star Wars, this movie is unbelievable and silly to the extreme, but also like Star Wars, that's its biggest strength. If you want a serious SF action movie, rent "Alien" . If you want an SF movie with a good story, rent Total Recall. But if you want an SF movie that provides you with two hours of uncomplicated fun, try this one.
***1/2 out of **** stars