Well, it proves one way or another that Luc Besson has really bad sense of humor !

Rating: 5/10 (30 October 2008)

I watched a lot of (Besson)'s movies, as a writer, director, or even producer, sometimes all at once, and I felt how the man was trying to take the action entertaining cinema to the next level, and how also his sense of humor is so lost!
In his entire career, he couldn't pull off one masterly joke. Yes, the action is all here and aspirant, but there is that certain amount of silliness around. (Milla Jovovich) was funny but not that funny! (Bruce Willis) was right in between the 2 phases of the old lively comic Willis (Moonlighting's type) and the later cold unfunny Willis (The Whole Nine Yards)'s one, or to tell you the truth, in here he maybe passed it to the second phase already! (Chris Tucker) is TOTALLY UNBEARABLE to say the least, this guy really must own a secret to be in movies till now and to have his name over Jackie Chan's name and bigger salary also in their average franchise "Ruch Hour"?? He lost the Razzie award for that year because it went to the only one who could be more awful: (Dennis Rodman) in (Double Team)! Even fine actor with many faces like (Gary Oldman) hackneyed himself to the utmost with no profit, or for the sake of making any kind of attractive and distinct evil character; the same case you would find it again in (Besson)'s less silly, more appeal, same stupid (Leon)!
Whenever (Besson) put his touch, everything becomes madcap, horrendous, and most of all ridiculous. I liked the main idea as good plot for: "you must save the world my son" + "Shoot 'Em Up" kind of video game. As a bonus this time, (Besson) assures that: being spiritual is needed (which's a great and rare message indeed), the woman is the basic element, and how the hero must be American to sell your action flick internationally!
The whole movie was forced or graceless which exposed the story as too empty. The dialogue is extremely not droll. The characters are stereotypes with inner-scorn. The ironies are just tasteless. The cartoonish atmosphere was mostly blazing, but lacked wittiness and elegance. The monster creatures weren't scary; maybe that was the point, however they weren't clever or interesting either. The camera's angles looked scary and strangely loved to deform. The performance is all bad (thank God that Ian Holm was there). And the semi-nude outfit of (Jovovich) was so cheap and degrading. As a whole, the movie was ruled by effective repugnant spirit like your classmate who specialized in saying the most non-laughable jokes ever, and desperately continues saying them. Watch carefully just one scene when (Willis) finds no escape from the reporters in every corner; it oozes intolerability with all the meanings of the word. This is perfectly the kind of works that nominates for the Oscar of the best effects, sound effects editing, and doesn't make you laugh or amuse you fully in the same time.
(Besson) was so determined on giving it some different style (the operatic singing, Cheb Khaled singing in the background of the flying car chase,..) to present the French contribution in making such blockbusters, but all in all that was relatively influencing factor as the silliness attacked outrageously. It's more like when you love the colors of a drawing and hate, just hate, the drawing itself.
In most of his movies, (Besson) wanted to make the forthright American action in the American way to compete with the real American movies. He succeeded in much of this mission, but sorry, he didn't - especially with movies like this one - surpass any of them, despite how (The Fifth Element) was once The most expensive French movie ever made.
Objectively, it's loud brainless comic-book, with entertaining detached sequences, if only you can stand its innate ridiculousness. Subjectively, I was hoping for the ending since I was in the movie's middle! In best cases, I consider it a good (Blade Runner)'s spoof, but with no laughs!